Shopping, planning, cooking, baking, decorating, wrapping. Parties, get-togethers, functions, holiday cocktails. School plays, dance recitals, sports stuff, cookie swaps.
The holidays are a lot. And then you add people into the mix.
Difficult people. Demanding people. Grumpy people. Inappropriate people. Greedy people. These people are at the grocery store, in the mall, stuck in traffic with you, and sometimes, at your dinner table.
‘Tis the season for joy, family, and celebration. ‘Tis also the season for stress.
My friend, if you’re going to make it through December with any semblance of holiday spirit, not to mention sanity, you’re going to have to find joy in the little things.
Here are 5 ways to find small moments of joy during the holidays:
1. Focus on the present moment
Instead of worrying about what you need to do next or what you still have to get done, take a moment to appreciate what's happening right now. Whether you're decorating the tree, baking cookies, or simply spending time with loved ones, try to be fully present in the moment. And that includes taking a break from social media. When you are on your phone, you’re not present to the people around you. Why would you focus your energy and attention on what’s going on at someone else’s holidays when your own holidays are happening all around you? Put your phone down.
2. Practice gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful tool for finding joy. Take some time each day to reflect on the things you're grateful for, both big and small. You can write down your thoughts in a journal, or simply take a few moments to reflect silently. You can be grateful for a great parking spot, or the stranger who held a shop door for you. You can be grateful for a warm house on a cold night. You can be grateful for a conspiratorial wink from your partner across the dinner table when their mother drones on about the proper way to mash potatoes for the third year in a row. And you can be grateful for that brief moment of silence at the end of the evening when everyone is settling down.
3. Take care of yourself
In many ways, the holidays are a physical endurance test. We’re eating a lot more fat and sugar than we might normally do. We’re drinking more alcohol. We’re staying up later than usual. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating some broccoli (in addition to chocolate and cheese), and exercising regularly. And watch your alcohol consumption as overindulgence can really wear you down over time, not to mention the grueling act of trying to act cheerful while suffering a vicious hangover.
4. Embrace the imperfections
Let’s face it, despite our best planning efforts, the holidays are often a mess. From burnt cookies to toppling trees, spilled eggnog, crumbling gingerbread houses, forgotten gifts, overexcited, over-sugared, over-the-top kids, it can be a real gong show. One year, my mother’s Christmas goose caught fire in the oven. When she pulled it out, it set the kitchen curtains on fire too! Instead of getting stressed out about these imperfections, embrace them as part of the holiday experience. After all, it's the imperfections that make the holidays special.
5. Spend time in nature
Spending time in nature is a great way to relax and de-stress. Take a walk in the park, go for a hike, or simply sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. Appreciate a starry sky, the crisp air, the sound of the wind in the trees. For all the noise and glitz of the holiday season, nothing beats what mother nature has on offer.
When it comes down to it, be it Hanukkah's menorah, the twinkle of a Christmas tree, or the sparkle and fireworks of New Year's Eve, the holidays are about celebrating light at the darkest time of the year.
Find your moments and let the joy flow through you.
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