You look at the calendar.  All the wonderful projects you were going to accomplish this year are not even begun!

Every year around this time you may feel a little anxious, a little overwhelmed.  How do you handle the stresses of the holidays?  Keeping a balance between activities and quiet times is always helpful but especially beneficial now.  There is a simple technique to remedy your off times.  It is quick.  It is easy.  You just have to remember to pay attention to your feelings.

Yes.  Listen to any emotions with negative impact upon you.   You can study the technique further.  For the purposes of today, here are techniques I have found successful for a quick recovery from irritation, gloom and doom.

• Start your day with 5 minutes of quiet.  No thoughts.  No worries.  No interpretations.  Breathe in and out.  Listen to your breath.  Travel to the peaceful spot within you.  This is where your strength for the day will be.  Feel the peace.  Feel the confidence.  Feel the comfort. This is the core of happiness.
• End your 5 minutes of quiet with 5 positive adjectives about you.
  You may find negative adjectives readily pop up.  Pay no attention.  Look for some fun, positive adjectives.  Words have power.  Use them to your advantage.  Do these words lift you up?  If so, use them throughout the day and see how things look brighter.  You may even have a new found confidence.  Now that’s the way to enter the holiday spirit!
• Listen to your feelings.  Negative feelings are messengers.  They tell you the way you are acting is getting you further and further away from your place of well-being. 
• STOP IN YOUR TRACKS IF FEELINGS ARE NEGATIVE. Don’t argue.  Don’t open a dialogue about the feeling.  Don’t explain the reason for the feeling.  Just STOP!  Remember the morning of quiet and how good you felt. 
  • Try re-wording  your situation.
  • Can’t do that?  Try finding something else to do that feels better than the negative situation.
  • Keep searching until you feel better.  A better feelings means you are heading in the direction of well-being, love, joy and happiness.  Stay on that track.

There are examples in the book, GETTING TO HAPPY: Learn to Read Emotional Messages.  As you think of irritating events or feelings that you encounter during this holiday time, please leave a comment and I will be glad to do my best to address your particular challenge.

I cannot change situations I experience each day, but I can change the way I think about it and how I respond to it.  For me, it makes all the difference.

Happy Holidays!