Bonus: Inviting Peace In Times of Stress
/PHEW! It has been a week over here. What about for you? Over here in the US we are just coming down from the stress of the election and are entering into a holiday season that is unlike any other (plus it's my birthday on Sunday Checkout my BIRTHDAY SALE!) and it's been more than a little stressful, and that's what I want to talk to you about! How we can intentionally bring PEACE into stressful, overwhelming times.
The holiday season is a time for gift-giving, parties, and fun-filled activities that are meant to bring us feelings of happiness and love. But it can also be a stressful time for us (especially parents!) and a time when we often feel a lot of pressure to BE a certain way and to have it GO a certain way, and this can lead us to unconsciously slip away from our true intentions and goals for our family.
In this little mini episode I would like to share with you some really practical tips for how to go about inviting peace and calm in the stressful moments in your life. Now, this holiday season will have its unique stressors, especially with everything going on in the world right now. And this gives us even more reason to be intentional and mindful of the emotional environment that we are cultivating in our homes and within us.
So, how do we do that? Here are four steps to invite peace in times of stress in your life:
Get clear on goals, priorities and values. Sit down with yourself, in a quiet moment, maybe with a cup of tea, and write down the things that you want out of this time. Who do you want to be during this time? What are the deeper values related to this time in your life that you want to focus on? Now, take these goals, priorities, and values, and use them to set your intentions.
Set an intention. This is a wonderful way to keep your priorities and values at the top of your mind. You can take a few minutes in the morning, when the house is quiet to state your intention for the day and come back to them at peak moments of stress.
Reduce reactivity so that you are responding consciously and intentionally rather than simply reacting. This means taking really good care of yourself.
Nourish your body with healthy delicious foods and movement that serves you well.
Nourish your mind, with positive, gentle, and loving self- talk
Nourish your soul with activities or experiences that fill you up, rather than drain you.
Model the peace and calm and joy that you’re so wanting to see. When you do this, you put out a feeling, a sense of joy and peace that is really attractive and is encouraging calm and peace to others.
For more notes on how to have a safe, healthy, and intentional holidays in a pandemic, listen to episode 32 of The Balanced Parent Podcast.
Also be sure to check out my birthday sale! Each year I offer a discount on my services and programs during the "Black Friday" period. My Birthday Sale starts NOW (November 20th) and goes through Cyber Monday (Nov. 30th). This year I'm turning 37, so I'm giving you all 37% off of all of my courses! So, go check out the options, and be sure to use the coupon code "BIRTHDAY" at check out to get the discount.
I also have FIVE "birthday sessions" available this year. Birthday sessions are 37 minutes of coaching for 37 bucks! Now, usually I have more of these available, but with the pandemic and my parenting load I'm just not able to offer more. So these are first come, first serve, and when they are gone they are gone! Normally 1:1 coaching is only available to folks who are in my BalancingU Membership, so if you've been wanting 1:1 support and you aren't already in BalancingU, this is one of the only ways to get on my schedule! So don't wait on this one! (If you want in on the membership, that's on sale right now too! Yay!)
If you have questions about the Birthday Sale, don't hesitate to reach out! I always love hearing from you!