10 Stress Reducers and Happy Thanksgiving!
My two favorite things about Thanksgiving are being with people I love and eating pumpkin pie.
It’s my favorite holiday, but that hasn’t always been the case. There was a time when Thanksgiving was served up with an extra helping of stress and by the end of the weekend I’d not only eaten too much but consumed far too much emotional energy.
Years ago, I finally decided it was time to create a different experience and took an inventory of all the ways in which I was adding to my stress. It wasn’t a pretty list!
No, I can’t control anyone else, nor do I have control over the lines at the grocery store, the airlines, traffic, or the weather.
But I do get to choose how I show up and that goes a long way.
So, in addition to my shopping list, I now also have a stress-reducing / how-do-I-want-to-show-up list:
- Let go of “shoulds”
- Forget perfect
- Ask for what I want/need
- Be present
- Choose how I want to engage
- Set realistic expectations
- Be kind to myself
- Make conscious choices
- Breathe
- Practice gratitude
It just so happens that the same list works every other day of the year as well :-).
What’s on your holiday stress-reduction list? If you don’t have one, feel free to use mine as a starting point and modify it in whatever way is right for you!
And in an ever so slight shifting of gears …
I’m grateful to have you in my community. Thank you for your thoughtful, smart, and funny comments on my articles. Thank you for sharing your experience when a topic resonates with you.
Thank you for inspiring me.
And most of all, thank you for your commitment to living a life of choice and growth, being bold, and being you.
You make a difference.
