3 Questions for a Happier Holiday
‘Tis the season when hustle and bustle meet peace, joy and light.
I see you there, about to (or maybe well on your way to) taking care of everyone and everything else this holiday season. So while you’re focused on that, I want you to know that I’m here to help you take care of your own personal wellness this holiday season and always.
Today I have 3 simple questions for you to ask yourself so that you start the holidays from a place of taking care of you while you’re taking care of Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, New Year’s or whatever other celebration is on your heart. In fact, use these 3 questions whenever you’re beginning something new.
To get to where you want to go, start with who you are.
To enjoy a holiday of your dreams, begin by knowing who you truly are. Grounded in this wisdom about yourself, you can then make aligned choices and plans that matter the most to you and your loved ones and that feel the most fulfilling, fun and freeing. Skip this step, and you may find yourself on autopilot, spending your time, money and energy on things that you think you could, should or ought to be doing, but instead they leave you feeling overwhelmed, underwhelmed or disheartened.
So here are those 3 questions that will help keep you rooted in who you are so you can plan for what you want for a happier holiday . . .
1) How do you want to feel? Start with heart! Use all of your senses to ponder how you most desire to feel this holiday. Meet yourself exactly where you are. Whether you’re gearing up for a month of connection and celebration, or for one of solitude and just making it through, honour your emotions.
For example, I want to feel . . . a meaningful and fun connection with my loved ones and my “something greater”; present and aware of the moments of wonder; my compassion and light inspiring my children; accepting of inevitable holiday hurdles; like I’ve made a difference for others; and grateful for my many blessings. How about you?
2) What are your values? Next, check in on the principles that matter most to you. Some of your values remain consistent through life, while others come and go. It’s a worthy practice to occasionally check in on what’s most important to you in your current season of life.
Not sure off-hand what your values are? Simply google “personal core values” for endless words. Which 3 are the most important to you in this season of life?
3) How’s your energy level? Your body is a truthful barometer. It will tell you what’s best for you through your energy level. Ideally you want to maximize the perspectives, approaches and activities that make you feel energized and minimize those that make you feel drained.
Make two lists: Energizing to track which activities, people, scenarios, schedules, traditions, etc. leave you feeling the most at home, alive and light; and Draining to track which leave you feeling the most uncomfortable, depleted and heavy. What common themes emerge from your Energizing list? From your Draining list?
Answering these 3 questions to understand your desired feelings, values, and energizers is a wonderful way to put yourself, your wants and your needs at the heart of your plans – holiday and otherwise – and makes for a happier holiday for yourself and everyone around you.
And speaking of the others in your life, if you have a partner or a family you could make make this into a fun holiday activity where you each answer these questions and discover your holiday intentions together.
Either way, I’d love to hear what you discover!
Happy Holidays!
Nicole
p.s. While writing this message, I thought of a new idea for a holiday freebie to help you with your holiday planning. I’ll share it with you as soon as I can.