My Top 3 Holiday Tips

There's a lot going on during the holidays, and instead of being relaxed, people are often stressed. Whether it's preparing for big family meals, seeing relatives you don’t normally see, or finding the perfect gift, it can all be stressful!

With all the ups and down that the holidays bring, I find it helpful to remind myself of three simple things: accept, forgive, and maintain. 

1. Accept

Accept yourself for who and how you are. Once you've done that, accept people for who  and how they are. Accept that you can't change them; instead you need to change your perspective. 

Similarly, accept a situation for what it is - it's happening, you can't change it, so figure out how to make it work for you.

Maybe not this year, but normally during the holidays we have big family get-togethers where you might see some people, or get into situations that get on your nerves. Just remember, you can choose to not let it bother you. You can choose to see the positive instead of the negative. 

The next time your older uncle makes a sexist comment that bothers you, instead of being offended, try to smile and think to yourself something along the lines of, "Oh uncle Fred, that's just who you are and I accept you that way." It'll be hard at first, but in the end you'll be happier and probably have a better relationship with him. 

 

2. Forgive

During the holidays and up into the new year, people talk a lot about forgiveness because "it's the time of year". If you feel that way, that's great, I encourage it! However, I recommend you forgive yourself first before you try forgiving others. 

If you can't forgive yourself, how do you expect to forgive someone else? We're all guilty of it. There are always things we're mad at yourselves for, whether it's being upset at ourselves for making a silly comment that angered someone we care about, or pigging out during the holidays. Acknowledge it, forgive, and move on. Remember, it's the time of year after all!

3. Maintain

It's normal during the holidays to indulge a little (and sometimes a lot). What's important is that you keep in mind numbers 1 and 2 above, accept the situation for what it is (you ate like a pig), forgive yourself and move on and get back to that healthy lifestyle in between your piggy sessions. 

An additional piece of advice on this one is instead of cutting back on the exercise as most of us do during the holidays, try adding in an extra workout or two to help counteract the extra eating. Even if it's a 20-minute run, or a 30-minute yoga class, anything is better than nothing!

It's important to try to maintain your good, healthy habits as much as possible. It's always easier to maintain than it is to start all over. 

So there you have it, my top 3 holiday tips. I suggest writing the three words somewhere you'll see throughout the holiday break so that you will be constantly reminded of it.

Happy holidays everyone! xox