A Holiday Six Pack

Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love. ~ Brene Brown

So tonight a smattering, a six pack if you will, of happiness related thoughts for your holiday season.

Self-care at Christmas

During the holiday season please my friends take care of yourself.  I know it’s that time of year, you’re out shopping for others, cooking for others, meeting family obligations, wrapping presents, sending out cards and generally trying to be good to others.  That is of course fantastic and the point of the season after all.  But it’s truly important that you don’t do that to the detriment of yourself.  It’s like they tell you on the airplane, put your own oxygen mask on first, before helping others.  You’re no good to others if you’re burned out and miserable.  So yes, do lots of things for others, but take the time to take care of yourself.  So, slip that spa appointment in there somewhere, or just take fifteen minutes to sit someplace quiet and sip a cup of coffee or tea.

Relax, be giving and kind

Part of that self care is to relax and not let the holiday madness get to you.  Do something that most others won’t be doing during the season.  Take your time, relax and be extra kind.  So hold the door open, let that person in traffic, don’t jump on your horn when you get cut off.  Take an extra breath whenever possible, smile more, say hello and wish people a happy holiday.  You’ll feel better and make others feel better as well.

Tips for Holiday Travel

This time of year many of us will be traveling, in fact it has been reported that this will be the busiest travel year in history.  The best advice I can give, some of which I talked about in my post, tips for holiday travel, is to not be in a hurry.  Force patience on yourself by giving yourself extra time to reach your destination.  Pick flights with longer layovers to avoid delays causing you to miss a flight.  Take those longer layovers and find out if there is something fun happening at your layover airport.  Give yourself extra time for everything, security will be slower, taxis and rideshares will take longer.  Don’t put yourself on a schedule that will also skyrocket your blood pressure.  The piece I linked to includes some advice on how to make holiday travel with children more tolerable as well.

Give a really great gift

I’ve always really tried to give good gifts.  An example, my mother and one of her neighbors have recently gotten interested in the stars they see just after sunset.  So, I bought her a telescope.  Giving good gifts is about thinking what people are interested and excited about and finding something that parallels this interest.  So this year, think about someone, really think about what they really love and find them a gift they will love.  It doesn’t have to be expensive, just something that will really make someone happy.  In this time of materialism and commerce, a thoughtful gift can really touch someone’s heart because it shows them that you really care about who they are.

Be grateful for the gifts you get and have

We have talked about gratitude so much on this blog because it’s really important to our well-being and happiness.  Truly being grateful for the gifts in your life, (people and even yes actual presents), will make you feel better about your life and generally happier.  Take just a few minutes every single day to think about how fortunate you truly are, no matter how bad the day might be going.

Have fun

Please have fun this holiday season, don’t get so hung up on your responsibilities and obligations that you forget to have a good time.  Make sure that throughout the holiday season you schedule some time to just enjoy yourself. If you live in the snow, go make a snowman or sledding, go ice skating or have a really nice dinner out.  Make positive use of those days off from work and have happy days my friends.  ~ Rev Kane