Nov 30, 2016
The holiday season is a time for spending time with friends and family, parties, celebration, and fun.
But because there is soooooo much packed into this time of year there can also be a great deal of additional stress. To help you through the holiday season I have four different tapping scripts for you.
- Too many activities going on (4m56s)
- Having to spend time with people you might not choose to spend time with (9m27s)
- Financial stress because of holiday spending (13m35s)
- Feeling disconnected from the meaning of the season (18m05s)
Note: The time code after each of the topics above is the place in the audio where that particular tap-along begins. You will also find all four scripts below.
This is a crazy time of year...It feels like there are a million things going on...Parties that friends are throwing...Parties that work is throwing...Pageant that kids are in...It feels as if every time I look at my calendar there is one more thing I have to do...It feels like a marathon...Not a celebration...And because we are going non-stop it's hard to appreciate each event...Some of the events I feel like I have to show up to...And not that I want to be there...Not that I enjoy it...But it is a requirement...Because it's a requirement stacked on top of many other requirements it's anything but fun...It's anything but enjoyable...I even start to resent it...I give myself permission to know that I am allowed to say no...I give myself permission to know I don't actually have to do everything...I give myself permission to know I'm allowed to leave early...I don't have to stay until the bitter end...Just because I was invited doesn't mean I have to say yes...Many of the things that I miss notice no one will even notice...Because everybody is overly busy...I give myself permission to know it is OK for me to take care of myself...It's OK for me to focus on my own family and not feel like I have to do everything...Many of the people who have invited me places will actually enjoy it a lot more if I visit them in January...When nobody feels overwhelmed by the holidays...This holiday season I give myself permission to take care of myself...To say no to the things that are not helpful or healthy for me to do.
I recognize the fact that I'm going to be spending some time with people I don't necessarily like...I'm going to be spending time with them because I've chosen to do that...Because I've decided it's the right thing to do during this holiday season...But by choosing to be there I'm not saying I agree with their world view...I'm not saying that I want to spend lots of time with them...I know that there are going to be moments where they are going to say or do something that really frustrates me...That they are going to do something that drives me crazy...More than likely I will do something that drives them crazy as well...I recognize the fact that I am allowed to navigate this in a way where I'm putting my safety and health first...I give myself permission not to engage...I give myself permission to get up and leave the room when necessary...I give myself permission to know it is OK to leave early if I know I have to...Just because I'm interacting with someone does not mean they have to take up a huge amount of space in my head...Or a huge amount of space in my heart...Sometimes we decide it is best to show up places where there are people we don't get along with...I don't have to do this every day...I don't have to do this all the time...I give myself permission to not worry about it...I give myself permission to let it go the instant I walk out the door...it is OK for me to take care of myself...It is OK for me not to engage...It is OK to let this pass until I have to do it again next year...Hopefully in the next year we will all have evolved and our interaction next time will be better
I recognize I spend a lot more money during the holiday season...On the gifts that I give...The social events that I attend...The food that I bought...All of this can create a great deal of stress...I recognize the fact that much of the spending that I do is on things that I feel like I have to do...That I don't have a choice...That I don't have an option...That it is something I must do or other people will judge me...Because I didn't give the right gifts...Or I didn't give the right amount of gifts...The reality is that most of the gifts that we receive...And most of the gifts we give...Are forgotten about very quickly...Because we already have so much stuff in our lives...We might appreciate it in the moment...But then it just joins everything else that we own...I give myself permission to be much more thoughtful about my buying decisions...To be to be much more thoughtful about the choices I make...Knowing that I can give less more thoughtfully...Still letting the people I love know I love them...I give myself permission to let go of the guilt which is compelling me to buy more...It just wants me to be safe...By acting like everyone else...I give myself permission to know I don't need to do that...I can be thoughtful...I can be deliberate about it...I can give good gifts that I am proud of and spend less...I give myself permission to let go of the social conventions of what we are supposed to give...And give in a way that makes sense to me
I recognize the fact that the holidays will become very commercialized...Recognize the fact the holidays have become super busy...And it is so easy to get caught up in the obligations, it is easy to get caught up in all of the details...This holiday season I give myself permission to carve out the time that is necessary for me...To appreciate the season for what it really means...To connect with my family traditions...To connect with my loved ones...And to connect with my spiritual beliefs...To take time to reflect...To take time to appreciate...To take time to be in the moment...Even if I have to schedule that quiet time on my calendar...I give myself permission to be deliberate and intentional...To let go of the craziness...To let go of the hubbub...And to be fully present to what is going on...To be fully present to what I want to experience...I give myself permission to make the holiday season about the part of it that is important to me...To be present in the way that I want to be present...And not be wrapped up in all of the craziness and the details