While the holiday season is meant to bring about feelings of peace, joy, and happiness, it’s also a source of stress for many. All that is happening in the country and around the world may potentially amplify those feelings this year. According to various polls, more than 80% of us are experiencing more stress than usual.
Chronic stress can wreak havoc on your body, well-being, and overall life. It puts your body into fight-or-flight mode, which causes blood to drain from the brain and into the extremities. Its biological purpose is to give you more power to fight or run; unfortunately, this leaves you unable to think clearly. Stress also weakens your immune system, which increases the likelihood of illness. On top of all that, it messes with your metabolism and melatonin, which is a sleep hormone, causing weight gain and exhaustion.
As I explain in my latest best-selling book, Stressless Success: The Surprising Secrets to a Life of Passion, Purpose, and Prosperity, stress is a feeling that is a result of thoughts you are choosing. What you are choosing is just a figment of your imagination. The great news is that you have the power to choose differently and to visualize, or imagine, better feeling outcomes or situations.
Unlike some other experts, I don’t buy into the idea that all you need to do to improve your life is to think positive thoughts. It just doesn’t work when you’re under incredible stress. What I discovered is that by forcing positive thoughts, you can actually make the situation worse because your feelings are not yet aligned. It is your feelings that create an energy that you give off and what you give out is what you get back.
Instead, when you face stress or negative thoughts and feelings like guilt, anger, shame, or frustration, let go of thoughts and focus on something that makes you feel good. In other words, get out of your head and into your heart, regardless of how loudly your head says not to go. Check out my book, Stressless Success: The Surprising Secrets to a Life of Passion, Purpose, and Prosperity to learn why this is so powerful and precisely how to do it:
One issue with the holidays is that they bring about what I call “the syndrome of too much” and “the syndrome of not enough.” Both ends of the spectrum can cause stress and burnout. So, what are the symptoms of “too much” and “not enough?”
The online dictionary definition of holiday is “a day of festivity when no work is done.” Odd, isn’t it? For most people, the holidays actually require quite a lot of physical and/or emotional work. Then, after everything is over, we’re drained, completely unrested, in debt, or in need of a detox.
I’m happy to report that it is possible to experience a truly joyful holiday. After all, joy and love are the entire reason for the season beyond commercial hype and pressure to deliver. Ask yourself: what would a perfect holiday really look like? Your answer depends on what you value and hold close to your heart. It’s easy to make your top priority a reality this year.
Are the holidays stressing you out? Are you worried about what the new year will bring? Do you want to discover how to live a more successful life? To learn more about private coaching, send me a message or call me at 724-417-6695. Fill out a coaching form to access a free strategy session.
Learn more about me—Janet McKee, MBA, CHPC, CHHC - Speaker, Best-Selling Author, High Performance Consultant, Success Coach, and CEO of SanaView—here.
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