HAPPY Holidays!

E's very first Christmas present.

The holidays are in full swing! There's so many things I love about this time of year, the people who go crazy with the house lights that you can see from space, burning my gingerbread and sugar cookie Scentsy scents in the house, putting my favorite ornaments on my tree, going to fancy Christmas parties where I get to put on makeup and wear an actual cocktail dress!

But let's not forget all that holiday stress. You know what I'm talking about. The never ending lists upon lists of what to do and what to buy, re-budgeting the finances every other day to make sure you get every dollar to count, baking, shopping, family pictures... and lets not forget you have to make it all look effortless and with you and the fam looking gorgeous. Yikes!

Some stress is definitely good. It helps us reach our goals and feel that sense of accomplishment. There's just something about this time of year that can get me really down as well as excited. And too much stress, is definitely bad. Too much constant stress can raise your blood pressure, interrupt sleeping patterns, cause headaches and make you more susceptible to colds as well as a myriad of other things. So I've compiled a list of things that help me keep peace on earth as well as in my mind this time of year. Here it is.

#1. Christmas will not be "perfect". In fact, forget that word all together! The holidays will be glorious and amazing and wonderful! But, it will not be perfect, no matter how hard you try. Why? because you can't control other people or circumstances. You can carefully plan out and execute every detail, but your spouse could wake up with the flu on Christmas morning puking all over the place. What you CAN control is you and how you feel, which will make all the difference in the world.

#2. Keep it simple. One of my biggest stresses is neighborhood gifts. I love my neighbors to death and I want to show them how awesome I think they are by making elaborate home made gifts! right?

I was just talking to a friend about how this little thing, "neighbor gifts", can suck you into making dozens of complicated little doo hicky's or treats with teeth gritted at 2 o'clock in the morning with an insane, manic look in you eye. My friend was saying how although she was already getting a little stressed over the holiday rush she was going to make these reindeer treats with chocolate dipped pretzels for the antlers, and I recounted to her how I made white chocolate covered apple snowmen that took forever and then blew up on my family last year. Why? we asked each other. I still don't know exactly why. All I know is this year, I bought some lovely little gifts that were inexpensive and thoughtful. Done. If crafting and baking is your joy and you can't wait to share it with everyone then by all means please do! Chances are I might get some. heehee. Just remember to keep it simple, and if you find you are not enjoying yourself, then stop and get your butt over to the dollar store! No one will know!

#3. Give. I know times are tight all around, but giving even just a little bit raises my happiness level like no other. Every time I throw my change into the salvation army bucket I smile, and I can't wait to stuff a stocking for a local family in need at my daughters pre-school. I was brought to tears reading the list of things this family needs. Toothpaste, soap, toothbrushes, lifesavers etc. Such little things. There are so many opportunities to give this time of year. Tons of retailers are doing food can drives, churches offer many charity opportunities, the Road home usually does some sort of drive with a local radio station on the streets of Salt Lake and more.

http://www.theroadhome.org/ Here's the link if you live here in Utah.

#4. Have boundaries. Know when to say no! This is particularly hard for me, I always want to perpetually please everyone and say yes to everything. So practice saying "NO" before hand if you know someone is going to ask you to do something that you really can't handle.

#5. Last but not least, Breathe! I'll have more on breathing in a later post but for now I'll give you the basics. You might be thinking "duh! I know how to breathe Janae! I'm alive aren't I?" but there's a big difference between the breathing we automatically do every day and breathing for the purpose of relaxation. Many hospitals have adopted this technique to help the chronically ill deal with the strain of living in constant pain with great success. Some even attribute their healing to how well they learned how to relax with breathing. If they can benefit from it, just think what it can do for you!

http://healthmad.com/health/health-benefits-of-deep-breathing/

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/8/11/1210.short

So here's how. Lay down or sit when you have a quiet moment. Rest your hand on your stomach and breath in slowly. When you breathe in you want to try and breathe from your diaphragm and expand it. You should feel your stomach (not your chest) rise slightly. Breathe in through your nose and then slowly blow it out your mouth. You always want to breathe out longer then you breathe in or you'll get dizzy. I like to count it out to really slow down my breathing and get all that good oxygen enriching my brain and muscles. Like this:

Breathing in 1. 2. 3. 4.

Out 1. 2. 3. 4.

In 1.2. 3. 4

Out 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

In 1. 2. 3. 4.

Out 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

In 1. 2. 3. 4.

Out 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

In 1. 2. 3. 4.

Out 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Close your eyes if you can and imagine your body getting more relaxed with each exhale. You can also think words to yourself to help calm you like breathing in "peace" and breathing out "relax" whatever works for you. Do this as often as you want and it only takes a few seconds. I do it in the car ( with eye's open obviously), in the bathroom with the door closed, in the shower and at night in bed before going to sleep. I can't even begin to explain how this can calm you in just a few seconds. I will be doing this technique the rest of my life come Hell or high water, not just at Christmas, it's that awesome.

So if you find yourself completely flustered shopping with all the kids, stop and take a moment for you. Right there in the store. No one looking at you will know. Just stop and breathe and you will be able to return to the job at hand a little calmer and probably with a higher IQ (because anger can lower your IQ by as much as 40 points). On your way to that company party with the scary boss you want to slather with your rapier whit and charm? Breathe. Standing in line to return a gift? That's right Breath. Even if you feel you're a pretty easy going person who's rarely stressed, breathing like this can make you feel even better!

So there it is. My personal "prescription" for keeping the holidays merry and bright. Oh, and get your shopping done early! Well, remember that one for next year. I would love to hear from you, things you personally do to keep the season positive and joyful. I can always use more tips!

Peace and Joy,

Janae