How to Stay Cool, Calm and Collected Amid December Celebrations
It’s almost Christmas. Or perhaps you celebrate Gita Jayanti? Observe Ashura? Revel on Krampus Night? Mark St. Nicholas Day? Commemorate Bodhi Day? Honor St. Lucia? What about Chanukah? And Zartosht no-diso? Kwanzaa?
Truly December marks the honoring of days that are important to many people of many faiths. For all of us, it’s a time to acknowledge and uphold deeper values of life. Even those who don’t adhere to one faith or another celebrate family and wish for peace on earth, culminating in grand hopes for the new year.
However, for so many women, the holiday season is overshadowed by stress. Whether you’re knee-deep in preparations and hosting, or you’re traveling and bunking down in someone else’s house, there can be a lot of pressure. Finances are often strained at this time of year. Family members we’d rather not see are front and center. Conversely, we may be sad about loved ones who aren’t able to be with us. Keeping our cool is sufficient, but it’s preferable to bring a full heart to our holiday events. Harmonious relationships rely on the ability to give, but giving is not just about gifting—it’s about appreciation and love.
Seven tips for staying calm and happy
- Mental health professionals recommend that, if it’s going to be a strain, you gracefully decline suggestions like cooking the dozen or so visitors a six course meal. In other words, don’t take on what you can’t do joyfully.
- It’s calming and expansive to go outside for a walk and spend some time in nature. Breathe!
- Keep controversial subjects at bay by engaging in topics everyone enjoys in harmony.
- Do unto others….
- Be smart about your food and alcohol intake. Indulging past a healthy amount of either compromises your health, your feeling of wellbeing and it will deteriorate the quality of your behavior.
- Keep healthy hours, get enough sleep.
- Do the Transcendental Meditation technique twice a day, which deeply relaxes your body and settles your mind. This supports your mental clarity, your calmness, and your energy. You’ll spontaneously feel and express joyfulness in your relationships.
If your family and friends at gatherings can put away their phones and tablets for a while, you will find a wealth of experiences to enjoy together and create many treasured memories.
If you’re on your own
If you find yourself free-wheeling during the holidays—no problem—you know what activities bring you the most joy. To add to those, consider volunteering at a local shelter or mission, or with a charity that delivers meals, at a senior home or a children’s home. Create new traditions with a substitute family of friends or neighbors—remember we can’t pick our family but we can pick our friends! Attend a local event. Practice self-care—during the Transcendental Meditation technique, you’ll transcend the ups and downs of everyday life and have the experience of fullness within yourself— inner happiness that is self-sufficient, not dependent on anything or anyone else.
May your holidays be filled with joy, love, and laughter.
