Jane Inch (janeinch) on Twitter

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via Jane Inch (janeinch) on Twitter.

10 tips to relieve holiday stress and enjoy peace and balance

10 tips to relieve holiday stress and enjoy peace and balance

1. Light a candle and spend a few minutes centering yourself each morning. Write in a gratitude journal, do some yoga poses or meditate

2. Take time to enjoy all the decorative lights and think about and feel what they represent for you.
3. Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night- electronics off at least an hour before bed as they can tax your immune system and disrupt your body’s natural rhythms.
4. Look at your calendar between now and Christmas- find two “to-dos” or “have-tos”  you can remove from it…and do it! They are only “have tos” if you choose to believe that they are. Know that you can change your perspective on them.

5. Write down your joys and successes for 2009. Acknowledge yourself for all that you have accomplished and the progress you have made.

6. Drink less coffee and alcohol and increase your green tea and healthy oils to keep you satiated in the midst of other holiday gatherings

7. Take a walk- even if it’s just 15 minutes a day- tell your self you only have to do that- you may even end up doing more!

8. Select a service project to do for someone in need- it can be simple but will make you feel warm inside.

9. Celebrate yourself with a massage, bath or whatever makes you feel calm and centered.

10. During this season of light remember to look for the inner light and sparkle in everyone, including yourself!

December is here

I love the holiday season. Yes there is a lot going on and yes, it can be stressful.  I even seem  to get sick some years, but I still love it. Today I was decorating my tree. I am actually kind of a Christmas nut.. so I even like putting the lights on.  So one thing I noticed was the calm I could feel just doing something so simple. With Christmas music piping in, me in my Lulu’s in my living room untangling the strands- I couldn’t have been happier. No computer, no phone- just immersion into what I truly feel as the season of light. Here I get to go within  and purely relish the memories of many Christmas’ past…maybe find the glimmer of that light within myself that gets dimmed from “running” all year. Each ornament that comes out of the tissue laden boxes evokes a memory of someone or something in my past. Some of the people are no longer with me but their spirit is right there- as real as ever. This holiday season think about where you can slow down and absorb the simplicity, the richness, the memories that have brought you to where you are now. Appreciate all that you are and all of the people who have been on your journey with you up until now. Remember it is a time of re-kindling the spirit, and light. Decorating my tree re-kindles it for me.