The Most Wonderful (And Stressful) Time of the Year

wow. first i would say cut out all of the UNNECESSARY activities and plans. all those fun things you have planned - if it's not fun it's time to stop. that's the rule. last, my favorite part of the holiday is sitting in front of the christmas tree with my little boy. last thing before bed, turn off the tv, computer, put away the cell phones, whatever other devices are distracting you, and sit on the couch in front of your sparkling tree, and just cuddle. read some books. it is the most wonderful moment. this morning my sleepy angel (he's 4) got up, stumbled out to the couch, cuddled up under his blanket to wake up the rest of the way...looked up at our tree and said, "wow...that is a great christmas tree." it melted my heart. THAT is the best part of the holiday. don't let those moments pass you by.

Hi M. :-)

You asked how do I relax and turn my mind off at the end of the day. My answer is a simple one, I balance my CORTICES! What are my CORTICES? It's actually my brain!

You are describing EXACTLY what happens when our brain become overwhelmed with stress, it works less efficiently, and in spite of this, we keep loading responsibilities upon it and expect perfection! We have a healthy mechanism in our brains called "switching" that helps the brain to "switch off" when it is getting over loaded so it can rest and reset itself.

Most of the time we don't listen to this healthy mechanism and we "push through", exhausting the brain/body complex and ending up more stressed.

I offer a very simple technique which you can learn quickly and implement in just 30 seconds. It is a brain balancing technique that works with the energy of your own body. It is called balancing your CORTICES and you can learn about it by going to my website www.amyfreundbodytalk.com and selecting the tab that says Dr. John Veltheim teaches CORTICES.

There are two videos: the first talks about what happens to our brains when they become overloaded with stress and the second video is a short clip of the actual demonstration of the technique. You will learn to do this for yourself, and then you can do it on your children or family and friends. You will notice an immediate sense of calming and relaxation! And.. the more you do it, the better your brain gets balanced and more clear and focused.

When you brain is "on line" with itself, you'll find your clarity is better and you will begin to become more efficient in your multi-tasking!

Thanks for the blessings, the same back at you :-0
hugs,
A. R.N., Energy Medicine Practitioner www.amyfreundbodytalk.com

Whew, sweetie- just slow down! First off, I agree with posters below- anything that does not ABSOLUTELY need to happen between now and Christmas- just DON'T DO IT. I mean - reschedule the doctor's appointments. Look at all the various 'things' you are doing.

Ask yourself " Am I doing this because I want to or because I feel like I 'HAVE' to?

Ask yourself "Is this (whatever it is) really going to make my family happy? Is it going to create a lasting memory for my children to pass on when they are grown? Is it bringing us closer together as a family?

Ask yourself "Is this in the real Spirit of Christmas? Are other people being helped by it? Will my children be better, happier, kinder individuals because of this behavior or event?

Look at your calendar for the next 3 weeks. First off, decide what traditions or things you want to do that are ABSOLUTELY meaningful to your family holiday. It might be baking cookies. Decorating the tree. Volunteering at a food pantry or shelter. Going to the church Christmas pageant. But - look at all the things coming up and ONLY put the absolute IMPORTANT, DO NOT MISS events on your calendar.

Schedule specific dates and times for each thing. Next Saturday you will get a sitter and go Christmas shopping. On Sunday after church and the following Saturday, you and kids will bake cookies. On the following Sunday after church, you will help put together gift baskets for needy families. But the thing is that each important event or activity has a SPECIFIC date and time on the calendar. Whatever traditions or events are more important.

Now- ALSO write down 'MOM TIME' on a couple of evenings or afternoons each week. In MOM TIME you can do what you want- a hot bath or get your nails done or wrap gifts or read- whatever you choose to do that day. But you have those hours set aside for it and you STICK TO IT. Nothing short of the house catching fire should get you from that bath tub, lol!

Remember, you will not enjoy the holidays and be patient and giving and kind if you are totally burnt out. If you can't make that 'holiday magic' happen for your kids, EVERYONE will just be stressed out.

Get your husband to help too! Trade off some MOM TIME for DAD TIME as well! He can take the kids sledding or help them wrap gifts or whatever too.

Just really decide what is meaningful to you and your family. The rest of it- if you fit some in, fine. But if you don't, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER- because you've done the important things. Just don't 'buy in' to the holiday being all busy and stressful. You don't have to- you can opt out of all the extras and your whole family will make memories and enjoy each other and the season much more!

Happy holidays and God Bless!

I am right there with you! This is my favorite time of the year but I know the next month is going to fly by and I will be crazy busy each and everyday. Most self inflicted. Of course I should throw a brunch, host family at my home, why not make it special (aka...not easy). We are all there with you!

As for taking time for you, DO IT! Even if it is just an hour away to sit at a Starbucks and drink one of their holiday drinks, listen to their festive music and read your favorite magazine. Ok, not an hour are you crazy, we have work to do...lets say 30 minutes. It's a start!

For some baths are great and relaxing but I just can't do it. A way I like to relax at night when everyone else is in bed and its quiet, I will bake. I usually have something I am suppose to bake as a gift or something this time of the year so I pop open one of my favorite bottles of wine and get to baking. Its relaxing because its just me and I get to check off one of those things on my list.

As far as to do lists and organizing. I have so many systems it seems but none seem to really do the trick. I have a To Do list App on my iPhone, I use my calendar on my Computer and I use good old fashion paper. Somehow after all that...I still forget things! My mom uses a little notebook that she keeps in her purse, kind of like the post-it idea only it stays together.

Good Luck
VillageMom
www.ittakesavillagedallas.com