| |
| |
|
Holidays Information |
|
|
|
Tis The Season For Love - and Stress!
The holidays are upon us and for many people this is the most stressful time of year. There is so much to do and not enough time to do it in, places to go, people to see, gifts to buy, food to prepare, and on and on and on. We may feel overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted, and angry, rather than joyful, loving and peaceful. Greeting cards proclaim wishes of peace, joy, happiness, and love regardless of the event being celebrated. They talk of families gathering, warm homes filled with love and peace, but for many, those wishes do not translate into reality. Our memories of wonderful holidays from our childhood and our expectations for this year may put an enormous amount of pressure on us. There are traditions to be followed and expectations to be met, those of others and those we put on ourselves, along with the commercialism that has the stores full of holiday decorations and "gifts" even before the Halloween candy has been put away. Some people will struggle through much of next year to pay off the credit card debt that they accumulate over the holidays. But saddest of all, is when the holiday is over and we think to ourselves "Is that all there is?" "Where was the joy, the peace, the love?" "Why does it seem as though it never measures up to our expectations?" The answer is "our expectations." One of the ways to reduce holiday stress is to take some time to examine your expectations for the upcoming months. What traditions have to be followed? What have you always done, because it is always done? Make a list, ask those who celebrate with you to make a list as well. Carve out some time to sit down and share your lists and discuss which of these traditions are really important to all of you and which are more work than you want to do. Get everyone involved in doing the things that may have been up to you. Discuss ways in which you can create new traditions or recreate old ones that will bring more peace, joy and love to your family, not only during the holidays.I recently read an interesting book by Gary Chapman called The Five Love Languages: How to express heartfelt commitment to your mate. Although it's primarily for couples, I think that the premise applies to everyone that we love. The author says that there are 5 basic ways in which we experience feeling loved. We tend to show others we love them in the same way we feel loved. The problems arise when our "love language" is different. The five languages, in random order, are "acts of service" "physical touch" "words of affirmation" "receiving gifts" and "quality time". If, for the holidays, you show your love for someone by "giving them a gift" and their love language is "acts of service" which means that they feel loved when you do something for them, there is a good chance that neither of you will feel that your expectations have been met. Perhaps, when your family gets together to discuss traditions and expectations for the holidays, you could discuss what would help you feel closer as a family, more loved, more joyful, and how this could create more peace. This can be a season for joy, peace, happiness, and most of all for love. Lorna Minewiser, Ph.D has been helping people reduce their stress for more than 15 years. She offers individual and group coaching, workshops, CDs, e-books and Stress Reduction and Relaxation kits. She is available for presentations on the power of beliefs and on Stress Reduction. Her popular e-course on Reducing Holiday Stress is available free at http://www.thestressreductioncoach.com
MORE RESOURCES:
holidays - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Incredibles Kid Birthday Party Idea Mr. Incredible and Elastiwoman to the Rescue. Christmas Mourning Deecember is a cruel month. Christmas sales, decorations, advertisements -everyone seems so happy and cheerful - it's easy to feel alone. Throwing an Anniversary Party to be Remembered Anniversary parties are a wonderful way to celebrate two people who have been together for a number of years. The most common anniversary parties are for 25 years and 50 years. Seven Valentine's Day Tips for Spouses in "Less-Than-Perfect" Marriages Valentine's Day can be a depressing day when you're in an unhappy or shaky marriage. In every store or advertisement you see romantic cards, heart-shaped boxes of candy, or select jewelry for the special lover's day. Mothers Day Gift Ideas Do you remember the days when your mother used to bring those surprise gifts for you? You just loved the sight of those big packages wrapped in beautiful gift papers, didn't you? What did you find when you opened those packets? Wasn't it always just what you wanted? The pretty doll in the window you longed to have for so long, the toy car that could be operated by remote control or a walkie-talkie. Ever wondered how mother always knew what you really needed? How heart-warming it would be to see the same joy and happiness light up your mother's face today. Relaxing Holidays - Five Ways To Make Your Next Holiday Stress Free For many people the end of a year is a time of increased stress. Instead of relaxing and unwinding from a busy year, the pressures of buying gifts, travelling or spending time with long lost relatives makes it a difficult time. Greeting Card Tango: How To Impress, Not Stress, During The Holidays When it comes to holiday greeting cards, to send or not to send is often the question. Once you have decided in the affirmative, you then have to determine who to include on your list, what kind of card to choose and how to address the envelope. Decorate for Thanksgiving Years of having to make do have turned me into a?"There must be someway I can do this cheaper type person."My old new house needs total make over. Decorate for Christmas It's your home/your apartment and you want to make it a special sanctuary this Christmas. How can you create a special place for your family and you? Well, we already have our centerpiece?see November's issue Decorate for Thanksgiving. Valentines Day Love Letter - The Best And Most Romantic Gift Is Also The Least Expensive! You don't have to spend a fortune this Valentine's Day to show your partner that you love them!One of the most romantic, creative and inexpensive gifts you can give your partner this Valentine's Day is a heartfelt love letter, written from the bottom of your heart!A heartfelt letter from a man can mean so much more to a woman than just a bunch of roses, box of chocolates or a piece of jewelry.However, most men feel challenged when it comes to expressing their love in words, especially in writing. Seven Great Holiday Decorating Tips--Without Breaking the Bank If you're looking for great ways to decorate your home this glorious holiday season--without breaking the bank and losing your sanity in the process--here are seven terrific ideas to get you started.1. FIREWORKS--OR, OOH, AAH, How Do They Do That? One of my earliest memories involves a Fourth of July spent at Annandale, Minnesota, sitting on a hill and watching fireworks. Our family had a cabin on Cedar Lake, a mile and a half away, and we had come to the display with a recently emptied ice cream tub filled with popcorn and a thermos of raspberry Kool-Aid. Celebrating the ME in MumME Another Mother's Day is upon us. A day in which our loved ones bestow us with handmade gifts, breakfast in bed, supper out and sometimes even jewelry!!! It is a day for our family to show how much they appreciate the job we do. It's Time to Start Thinking about Mothers Day Mother's Day is approaching fast.This year it falls on Sunday, May 8th, so you still have time left to come up with the ideal gift for your Mom. Choosing Childrens Birthday Party Supplies and Decorations Birthday party supplies and decorations can bring that necessary magic to make your child's party special. Your child and their friends will more closely recall the event when it is accompanied by strong visual cues. Secrets to a Stress Free Holiday December and all the excitement that comes with it can either be one of the most pleasant times of year or one of the most stressful. Even though the holidays are a couple of months away, there are things you can do to make it an extremely pleasant season. An Easy Gift For Many Occasions It can be very hard to find that one perfect gift for someone. How many times have you pondered over what to buy for a 36th birthday or an 18th anniversary?Chances are, that you've been thinking way too hard!Go to any local retail store and start browsing. 50 Ways to Acknowledge Your Employees Before and After Labor Day For most people, Labor Day symbolizes the end of summer, back to school, and another long weekend. Deep down however, when we stop for a moment and reflect as we often do on bank holidays, we all know that Labor Day is, in reality, meant to signify a time to recognize the achievement, struggle and determination of the working man and woman. I Just Love It! "I Just Love It!"You know the scenario. You're sitting at the family Christmas gathering and your ten-year-old opens one of Aunt Martha's itchy homemade sweaters. Top 20 New Years Quotations "Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold."-- Anonymous"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |