This past Wednesday, I was fortunate enough to participate in a wonderful (and timely) workshop called Banish Holiday Stress. To give you a little background, back in 2017, I had the opportunity to be part of an event called ‘Night of Empowerment’ which was a fashion show to benefit Friend to Friend. It was so powerful and people were so happy; it was really amazing. Women came out in droves dressed to the nines!
This made me think that we should have an event where we celebrated women’s insides rather than their outsides. About that same time, there were a lot of ‘movements’ in the US: Me too, black lives matter, blue lives matter, and our country and our world felt really divided. So I started a non-profit called Reach Moore, which is a grassroots organization aimed at helping women live their best lives through positive self-image, personal responsibility and community involvement. I want to connect women with the resources they need in our community.
Fast forward to this year when my friend Alisa says, ‘When is the Reach Moore’ event this year?’ And I say, ‘That was a one-shot deal because I am a one-woman show.’ But Alisa felt like the cause was worthy so she volunteered to host an event and Banish Holiday Stress was born.
We had 4 fabulous contributors who spoke to us about financial responsibility (Tell your money what to do), managing stress (explaining the detriment of constant release of adrenaline and cortisol on our bodies), nutritional responsibility (not only making good choices but delving into understanding why we feel guilt around food and the genesis of our belief systems around food) and we finished with mindfulness vial guided meditation.
We had a great turnout and while I thought I was helping to bring insight to others, I learned something too! Stress is an insidious component of daily life. We don’t even realize it when we are stressed! What is up with that? I was blown away by the wisdom of these 4 ladies. I really believe they were a gift from God. Just before Thanksgiving, when we are hustling and bustling, we were reminded to really pay attention. Here are some of the take-aways that I found; maybe they can help you too.
Help control expenditures by allocating cash for certain items and putting it in a designated envelope. When the cash is gone, your shopping trip is over.
Every time you eat, think about why you are eating. Are you hungry or trying to appease an emotion?
Think about your belief systems around food. Do you feel guilty when you eat? If so, why?
Be mindful this Holiday season. Take time daily to stop, take some deep breaths and reconnect with your body and your surroundings.
Try to manage your expectations. Know that your Holiday table is not going to be the Norman Rockwell painting. There will be spilt milk, screaming kids, arguing relatives and a myriad of other things to go wrong.
Find your ‘happy bubble’ the place where you are most content and try to stay there. Know what your triggers are. A place of homeostasis is what is most healthy for the human body.
Lastly, ENJOY your Holiday! Life will always throw you curveballs, but as my husband says, it’s all about the journey! Work at being grateful for every minute!