While some people are ready to deck the halls and hang their stockings the minute the clock strikes November first, others experience feelings of bah-humbug, dreading the onslaught of turkey and tinsel.The holiday season comes with a whole heavenly host of anxiety-causing factors: stress from excess time with family members, stress over making ends meet, and stress over "problematic" eating and weight gain. In the midst of the red and green marketing madness, it can be extremely calming to scale back the materialism and practice gratitude.
1. Express sincere gratitude to someone – this could be someone who has given you a gift or a friend that gave you advice you didn't know you needed to hear. Gratitude is an attitude, foster it by encouraging it.
2. Volunteer to help someone at work or at school – “helping” can take many forms but think outside the box and outside the workplace.
3. Volunteer at a community organization – discover the needs of others in your community and put your talents and skills to work.
4. Read a fun book – relax and lose yourself in a good book. Finish the book and journal about how it made you feel or talk to a friend about the outcome.
5. Engage in quiet relaxation or reflection. Do yoga, meditate, or watch the leaves fall from the trees outside. Taking 10 minutes of quiet time each day to appreciate the little things inevitably helps you appreciate the big things (family, health, safety) so much more.
6. Contact a long-distance friend or family member you won't see this holiday season and stay in touch with those that matter most. We often like to complain that the phone works both ways. Abandon this mindset and concentrate on being the friend that reaches out first from a place of love, without bitterness. Sometimes the people we love just need a little push and a little extra attention but aren't willing to ask for it.
7. Sign up for a class or a workshop that you have always wanted to do or learn about – get curious and look up free conferences or online tutorials that are relevant to your line of work. Learn, grow and stretch your mind.
8. Read a self-help book or a motivational book in a field you are involved in or interested in.
9. Plan a fun activity for yourself or a group of friends. Get outdoors and hike, go to a winery or go on a mission to find the best donut shops in your area.
10. Eat something you've really been craving and savor every bite. Have a love affair with your food and respect your body's ability to tell you what its craving and when its had enough. Our bodies are smarter than we think.
11. Spend time giving full attention to a child, family member, friend, or co-worker – Give 10 minutes of undivided attention to someone and really listen to everything they say.
12. Compliment someone every day. One of my secret challenges to myself in college was to give a genuine compliment to a stranger or friend daily. Seeing the surprise and pleasure on someone's face who's just been complimented is one of my favorite guilty pleasures.
13. Throw some spare change into a Salvation Army bucket, even if you only have five pennies and a nickel. Coins that are weighing heavy in your pockets could lighten someone else's load this holiday season.
