True Balance Life Coaching

The holidays can prove to be a highly demanding and stressful time. Several of my life coaching clients are under loads of pressure right now because of what feels like a Tidal wave of things to do in the next month.  If you are feeling stressed out, the following suggestions may be just what you need to help you reduce overwhelm and regain balance in your life this holiday season.

Plan and Create Task Lists: Prioritize and schedule specific days for shopping, baking, partying and other activities. Creating an actionable plan will make you feel more in control of  your responsibilities.

Acknowledge How You Feel: You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season. If you are feeling blue reach out to a good friend or family member for some laughs.  If you feel lonely or isolated,  seek out community events or volunteer your time. If you are feeling overwhelmed stop and assess what you can let go of.

Breathe: Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Reduce stress by clearing your mind, nurturing your body and finding inner calm. Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Reduce stress by clearing your mind, nurturing your body and finding inner calm.

Delegate: You do not have to do everything on your own. Ask the people who love you for help. It’s amazing how much friends and family are willing to step up and chip in.  People like to feel useful and needed. Do you think Martha Stewart takes care of all the details?

Get Real: The holidays don’t have to be perfect or just like last year. As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often change as well. Choose a few to hold on to, and be open to creating new ones. For example, if your adult children can’t come to your house, find new ways to celebrate together, such as sharing pictures, emails or videotapes. This year we have completely switch up our regular game plan and it feels good!

Say NO Thanks: Saying yes when you really want to say no can leave you feeling resentful and totally overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate in every holiday event or activity. You have permission to say no thank you.

Continue Healthy Habits: Overindulgence contributes to additional stress and guilt. Plan to enjoy  healthy food before holiday parties so that you don’t inhale too many decadent treats. Do your best to to get plenty of sleep,  physical activity and down time to nourish your mental and physical health.

Planning for the holidays can be a lot of fun. All you need to do is create a plan, ask for help and honor yourself.  You deserve to eliminate the self-induced stress of the holidays and enjoy this time of year!

If you want more information about overcoming stress and anxiety,   you are welcome to visit www.anxietyslayer.com for additional posts, podcasts and ideas created to help you wipe out anxiety and get on with enjoying your life.

One of the definitions of overwhelm is being buried or drowned
beneath a huge mass.  Feel familiar?

My particular brand of stress is more like … suffocating skin
crawling madness. I used to be the mistress of overwhelm. The
discomfort was intense and yet there was a rush involved with
pulling off the impossible. It took years for me to become aware of
the damaging ripple effect caused by my needless Empire State Building
HIGH masochistic expectations.

The good news is you can learn to minimize this paralyzing feeling
by facing each stressful situation and taking action.

Most of the professional people I play with are confident, talented and
risk averse people who are really good at connecting the dots.
Their ability to coordinate ideas, people, places, projects and
attract synergistic energy is astounding. Their keen sense of
knowing combined with pure unbridled courage manifests a stream of
opportunities.

Often these fine characteristics and what seem like unlimited ideas,
options and self expectations can be distracting and create a sense of panic and
overwhelm.

Why?

Because people of this creative caliber can do ANYTHING.

Connecting the dots is a blessing if you are conscious enough to
apply this talent to your own “in the weeds” experience. Learning
to go with the flow when things get dicey is a tremendous gift.

You can practice moving through life with grace and slay your
anxiety by incorporating some the following ideas:

* Take deliberate action a by choosing and revisiting your
priorities every week. A list of targeted activities will help you
remain on task.

* Carry out regular self-care. This may mean taking time out to
get a haircut, massage or a soak in the bath tub. Take some alone
time to read a good book, take a walk and get out of your head.

* Visualize your ideal accomplishment, and then make a list of
tasks that can be addressed to bridge and traverse where you want
to be in the natural flow of things.

* Determine what projects you can delegate. Asking for help is
freeing. It is in our nature to want to help each other. Just ask!

* Eliminate any unnecessary tasks and activities. Do what you
absolutely must, and junk what isn’t an absolute necessity. Allow
yourself to say NO.

* Give yourself credit for all of the projects you DO complete.
(small items and incremental steps count)

* Talk to a trusted friend, life coach or mentor. Get clarity
by being with people who you admire, people who are good at
managing stress.

* Listen to Anxiety Slayer Podcasts or visit the Anxiety Slayer Blog.

The next time you are feeling overcome with a sense of impending
doom, take a deep breath, gather your thoughts and let the slaying
begin.

“All confidence is acquired, developed. No one is born with
confidence. Those people around you who radiate confidence, who
have conquered worry, who are at ease everywhere and all the time,
acquired their confidence, every bit of it.”
~ David J. Schwartz