Do you find holidays stressful? Here is what you can do about it.
Holidays can be a very triggering time. And unlike popular belief, there is nothing wrong with you if you find holidays stressful.
The reality is that spending so much time in close proximity with family, having to compromise or organise, can take a toll on us. And you may have also noticed that when we allow ourselves to slow down, usually a lot of emotions that haven’t yet been processed come to the surface making us feel like something is wrong with us for feeling the way we do.
Know that this is all normal. There is nothing wrong with you.
Expectations also play in big part when we don’t feel the way we would have expected to feel, or things don’t go the way we had envisaged they would. So if you notice the word ‘should’ entering your vocabulary, you know you’re in judgement territory.
Like any transitional times, and by that, I mean, when there is a change, of pace, food, location, or environment, holidays can trigger feelings of unease in us. But like any life challenges that come up, whether big or small, it’s also an opportunity for us to slow down, notice and give space for whatever wants to come up.
How you respond to it is what matters.
Is your default mode to shame or blame when feeling of unease come up in what should otherwise be an enjoyable time?
If yes, then, I’d like to invite you to notice what happens when you allow space for yourself to feel whatever you are feeling without any judgement.
This could look like:
1. Finding space and time to be alone and taking a few deep breaths to enter the body
2. Making a conscious choice to notice where the feelings live in the body and welcome them, by saying inwardly or outwardly: ‘I see you/ I welcome you” (make sure to use words that sound true to you)
3. Allow the emotions to surface and instead of pushing them away, try to imagine cradling them or containing them firmly but without force, as if you were holding a very fragile crystal ball.
4. Stay in that space for as long as feels right to you.
This very small mindset shift, of welcoming instead of pushing away, by making a point to slow down, notice and be with whatever comes up is really key in finding peace and grounding, even at times when you feel most challenged. Your body carries immense wisdom. We just need to learn now to access it in a way that feels empowering. And as a Jungian Life coach with a background in yoga, this is exactly what I help you do.
As always let me know how you get on, and how this practice lands with you, what’s working and what’s not working so I can help guide you to your own wisdom.
