5 Ways to Create a Blissed Out Holiday Season
We've entered a beautiful time of year - one for slowing down and being present. For spending time with loved ones, and spreading holiday cheer. But often, its a time where anxiety and depression are at an all time high. Everyone is spending more than they should, the world is rushing and moving at light speed. Seriously, take a moment and remind yourself what day it is. Its December. The year is almost over, and if you are like me you might be asking "where did the time go?"
So instead of bombarding you with yet another holiday gift guide, I'm going to share some ways I stay present over the holidays, how you can practice mindfulness and how to get your zen on in this crazy time. As well as, teach you how to achieve bliss and have a joy filled holiday season.
Here are a few steps to creating the most joyous and blissed out holiday season:
1. MEDITATE -- This one may seem self explanatory, but there are a lot of people out there that don't take advantage of this practice. I personally take a few minutes to 20 minutes a day (at least) to sit in stillness. I first create sacred space, (I'll teach you how in an upcoming blog post), and play some music or a pre-recorded guided meditation. Here are a few of my faves: ), my playlist on Apple Music is bomb, Insight Timer (its a great free app with THOUSANDS of guided meditations, I'm currently loving Heather Waxman's), Danielle Laporte's new The Creation Meditation (get it here ) , and Kris Carr's original meditation album: Self Care for Busy People. I'm also loving a new technique I learned in Connie Chapman's Journaling workshops where you complete a body scan, and then journal about it afterwards. Its a tool I'll teach you in the upcoming weeks.
2. SLEEP -- I've been off work for a week and a half on bed rest, where I was told to sleep as much as possible and let me tell you, the change in my mood and energy now that I'm feeling better is INSANE. I am so well rested, ideas are flowing to me effortlessly, and I am choosing better foods, drinking more water, and waking up early WITHOUT an alarm clock, let alone 5 alarms. My sleep hygiene tips: turn off your tech at least 30 minutes before sleep, pop some calming essential oils in your diffuser or light candles to set the mood, emotions dump in your journal, have a bottle of water or glass set by your bed, wash your face + put on some skin oils (I make my own with coco oil and grapeseed oil with rose, frankincense and geranium oils), and BONUS if you can have a super calming bath by candle light. Serious bonus. Another thing I love to do before bed is have a cup of either Calm Magnesium or Four Sigmatic's Hot Cacao Reishi blend in some hot water with almond milk. Divine.
3. SAY NO -- Ask yourself this when you get each invite, request, or demand: does this serve my higher good? If you are invited to do something, if its not a whole body YES, its a no. By saying no to things, you leave yourself space to take care of yourself and practice self care throughout the holidays. It also leaves you free to say yes to the whole body YES situations where your whole heart is in it. You might be pulled in many directions during this season, but by saying no you leave room for the yes that brings you joy.
4. NOURISH YOUR BOD -- Seriously, if you are running around working extra hours, wrapping gifts late into the night, getting up early to clean the house from top to bottom so your mother in law doesn't judge you for your house keeping skills - whatever it is, your beautiful body needs fuel. My rule of thumb is this: aim for loads of greens, high quality protein and amp up the healthy fats. I thrive on a higher fat diet full of avocados, coconut oil or brain octane (MCT oil), ghee, full fat yogurts, etc. In addition, drink half your body weight in ounces in water a day or more, and add in a high vibe multivitamin - I love the doterra Lifelong Vitality Vitamins (I just had a client call them miracle vitamins). A quick and easy way to hit all of these requirements: a smoothie. Easy peasy.
5. SHIFT -- This one is a little bit more complicated, but guaranteed to radically change your mindset about the holidays, and well life in general. Stop using the word busy. Instead, shift the thought to full. My life is so full right now. The words we use are powerful, and by shifting to a more high vibe word, everything feels better. You can apply this tip to a number of thoughts: shift broke to different financial priorities, shift your mood from a negative to a positive and see what happens. Report back to me.
