Holiday Stress-less

The holidays are coming and although they are supposed to be a time of joy, relaxing, socializing and fun they end up being a time of stress for a lot of people. The joy of giving and receiving tends to turn to the stress of shopping, line-ups, trying to find the perfect gift, not having enough money and feeling so obligated to buy gifts that they are bought without thought. How does this reflect the true spirit of giving? I remember a friend telling me about her families gift giving. There were 2 rules, you had to make it or it had to be second hand. I thought that was brilliant because it makes people get creative and it takes the pressure away from spending lots of money. Then you end up with gifts that really mean something like a mixed CD, a photo album, a painting, a poem, home made cookies, a vintage dress, a classic record or something silly and fun like a macrame owl. It becomes more about meaning and a time for gathering together rather than a time for collecting stuff. Not that stuff is bad, I like my new i-pod I got for my birthday. I am just saying give with thought, joy and ease. Then you and the receiver will appreciate it more. Another part of the Holiday Stress is around food. There is a whole lot of it around, much of which we label "bad", but oh it tastes so good! The way around the guilt of holiday eating is to know the danger zones such as the buffet table and have a few tricks up your sleeve so that you enjoy eating and feel good when you are done. You can choose to eat the chocolate cake with joy or with guilt. Like anything it just takes a bit of practice to re-frame your thoughts about food. Take a lesson from a kid. They love and enjoy every bite of the chocolate cake and when they are done they forget about it. The keys to Holiday Stress-less are:

1. Beat the cravings by keeping your energy and blood sugar balanced.
2. Have a list of "party tricks" that will allow you to enjoy the buffet without overindulging.
3. Change mindless overeating into mindless healthy eating. When you create a new healthy habit the old habits slip away and being healthy becomes easier.
4. Adjust your attitude to food and discover that there really is no "bad" or "good" food.
5. Discover your "danger zone" and know how to overcome it.

I will be going through all of these points and more at my upcoming workshop Holiday Stress-less at Totem Hall in Squamish on Dec.4th. I would love to see you there. Get more details here.