You know, at the holidays, the things that normally stress us pretty much grow to these gigantic proportions. It's kind of like that monster in Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, you know, the Bumble. It's like he's so ferocious. That's kind of what our stress can do; can kind of feel so ferocious. Like with the Bumble, we kind of have to pull the teeth out of the stress and make it kind of harmless and let it just kind of bounce.

Letting our stress bounce like the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer's Bumble is really what I want to talk about because if we don't let it bounce, it will tear you. It will make everything less enjoyable. It will make perfectionism go through the roof for these unattainable goals that you have for what the holidays should look like, feel like how things should go, what people should be there, and how they should respond. It'll make things so much harder. Or if you let it go, it can cause you to shut down or feel overwhelmed such that you might get kind of fear paralyzed, kind of stuck, and not able to do as much. That can also weaken your immune system, and you can end up sick for the holidays, and we don't want any of that stuff. It also can just put so much stress on you that your mind won't settle down. You won't be able to get good sleep. You might mindlessly eat, and that causes more stress and body fatigue and just kind of feeling icky in your own skin.

So, we really want to rip those teeth out of the Bumble; take the teeth and the bite out of the stress. The first way you need to do that is to be aware of it. That means being aware of your body. Your body holds the truth about the state you are in. Your mind may think that you're doing just fine. Your emotions may feel totally okay, but your nervous system and your muscles in your body will tell you if you're working too hard, if you're stressing too much, and when you can relax. That tension in your body is when you're truly doing well. So, there may be some unreasonable expectations that you have in your mind. There may be over the top aspirations that you have for this holiday season. You may have demands on your time that you didn't have before, extra commitments, things that you're running to and from, gifts that you're trying to pick up, budget stressors, kids yelling or whining, relationship interactions that are more brisk than usual. It's time to slow down the body. Slow down the body and you will slow down the mind. Slow down the body and you will slow down your breathing. Slow down your body and you will slow down the stress and I can almost hear you right now, but Michelle, there's no time to slow down. That's easy for you to say. You can't know what I'm going through. Yes, yes, it's busy. Yes, it's a challenge. Yes, you can intentionally take time to slow down your physical body and calm it.

Tips for Managing Holiday Stress

  1. Pretend like you are walking through sand. Softly, gently. The more you force, the more it packs, and you can't get through, but if you just gently walk, it kind of melts away as you go through it. Just really gently slow down your breathing. Take a few moments to inhale for a nice deep breath and slowly release it out as slowly as you can and repeat that for several cycles.
  2. Take time to stretch. Do some wonderful stretching of your arms and your shoulders and your head. Just do some warmup kind of stretches or some cool down kind of stretches. Touch your toes a few times. Roll your neck, stretch overhead, reach behind you and lift up.
  3. Take a warm bath. Use some aromatherapy. Get some essential oils or a diffuser, or your favorite perfume, or your favorite fabric softener. Cuddle up with a blanket.
  4. Get your favorite drink. Oh, my husband said he's loving the Sheetz White Hot Chocolate right now. I have yet to try it, but I am going to. That's on my kindness to myself list for something to do very soon.
  5. Enjoy the specialness of the season but be mindful of what your body is telling you. If you're carrying stress in your shoulders, if you're carrying tension in your back, if you feel too exhausted at the end of the day or like you cannot get up or like you're driven by a motor and you can't stop, those are all signs that your nervous system is overly taxed and it's okay to relax it. Say no to some activities. Put some things onto a delegation list where you let someone else in your family take care of those things. Order out or order in. Let someone else do some of the things that they can do so that you can do the things that only you can.
At this holiday season, remember that there is only one you. And the reason for the season is not to stress. It's to feel grace, it's to feel love. It's to feel connection. It's to live in the freedom of salvation from Jesus. So, if it's all resting on your shoulders and you're trying to do it all, and you're noticing that it is taking its toll, or even if you're not noticing it because you've gotten so used to the stress that you're carrying, I encourage you to let it bounce. Let the stressors bounce away while you bounce over to something that slows things down and is better for you. Things and time and commitments can be rearranged. You only get this day, this season, this year, so make the most of it by slowing down and living loved. 

Go take on the day!