Positive Monday

How’s your Monday been? Here is California, it’s freezing. Which of, course, in the rest of the world is picnic weather.

How about that for perspective?

Last Monday we talked about focusing on what you can do well, and establishing a habit of noticing when you have done something to better your life and your health, vs stressing over the negatives.

With the Holiday season very much upon us (get on those Amazon wish lists!) it’s easy to start freaking out about lack of time, the gifts we didn’t get, the sweater someone won’t like, or the tree that fell apart. There seems to be a lot of doing involved – from cleaning and decorating, to baking, to seeing guests and attending parties. It’s exhausting even writing about it.

So stop your doing and put your hands on your belly. Breathe in and breathe out.  How are you? Peaceful, expectant, delighted or frazzled, overwhelmed and aggravated. If it’s even a hint of the latter, you may need to slightly simplify your routine and find time to take care of yourself a bit better this season.

This year I am asking you to keep it simple. Do some shopping online instead of being stuck in line at the store. Bake 1 kind of cookies instead of 5. Ask your kids to do the dishes while you do some stretching in your bedroom. Pack all gifts with the same wrapping paper. Ask your guests to bring a dish instead of making it all. Find ways to simplify so you can actually enjoy what the holidays are about – the people, not the things. The hugs, not the sweaters. The stories, not the smart phones. The fire inside your house, not the lights on the outside.

Tell us how you simplify your holidays? We are decorating the same skinny fake tree for the 5th year in a row. And we are using the same ornaments. And we are loving it!

be well, be positive