It’s a time of celebration! You are busy and happily making a list and checking it twice. Trees are being decorated and lights are strung around the house which brings a glow to the season. The delicious smell of baking cookies is wafting through the house. The stockings are being hung with glee. You’ve fought and conquered the Black Friday sale. And frankly, you might be just a little worn out and stressed!

Here are some techniques just in time to save what’s left of your sanity:

Ingredients:

Have fun and laugh with the people you love

Set appropriate boundaries with your activities

Get plenty of rest

Include on your shopping list gifts to those in need

Eat food that keeps you healthy and happy

Keep up your regular self-care routine

Be open to the outcome

Directions:

• Start with the finest ingredients: have fun and laugh with the people you love.

You have the family you were born into and then you have your chosen family. Keep a balance of family and friends during your gatherings throughout the holidays. Going home can drive you crazy and set off all your triggers. Keep friends around to help you process and laugh off some of the drama. For a little extra help, try this EMYoga technique for anxiety. It only takes three minutes. If you’re in the middle of a gathering and need to calm down, go to the bathroom and hold your head!

• Set appropriate boundaries with your activities.

This is a busy season, and it is helpful to use the word “no” from time to time. You really don’t need to do everything or go everywhere you’re invited. Make sure you are pacing yourself through the holidays. Leave time for some of the other ingredients in your recipe for sanity list.

• Get plenty of rest.

Don’t forget that sleep is one of the best mood enhancers. It is reported that a person with inadequate sleep is ten times more likely to experience symptoms of depression and 17 times more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety. Try to keep regular bedtime and wake cycles. If you stay out a little bit later at weekend parties, try to give yourself a nap. In addition, remember that alcohol is one of the biggest interrupters of sleep. Moderation or elimination of alcohol can help you stay rested and grounded.  If you need help unwinding at the end of a long day, here are some techniques to help you sleep from Prune Harris, an expert in Energy Medicine techniques.

• Include on your shopping list those in need.

Generosity makes us feel good.  One study found generosity reduced blood pressure as much as medicine and exercise. And it’s not just blood pressure. Generosity also lowers the risk of dementia, reduces anxiety and depression, improves chronic pain management, and more. In the town where I live, CoMoGives is in full swing and makes it easy to find all of the non-profits that rely on your giving to function throughout the year. I’m sure you can find places in your area as well.

• Eat food that keeps you healthy and happy.

I am all for a good dose of holiday candy and cookies. I also know that I need to balance that with some good, nutritious meals. Since I know I can have candy and cookies all year long, I don’t have to overeat them during the holidays. Of course, Mom doesn’t make her peanut butter balls except for once a year. So, I will need to get my fill of them now! Just make sure not to skip the meals you need to feel energized and healthy

• Keep up your regular self-care routine.

Not only do you want to continue your regular self-care routine, but you might even want to do more. Take hot, soothing baths, go for walks, stretch, and breath!  Don’t forget to attend your regular yoga and workout classes. I teach twice a week at alleyCat Yoga Center—Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Fridays at 4:30 p.m. You have a choice of Energy Medicine Yoga and Kripalu Yoga. Both are powerful practices for your body, heart, and mind.

• Be open to the outcome

Start each day fresh and ready by doing the Energy Medicine Wake Up. During the wakeup, you will be asked to set an intention for each day. How would you like to show up in the world? This focus on what you bring to the world instead of what the world should give you turns the day into one of discovery and curiosity. Be open to what the day brings and what you bring to the day. Good advice during the holidays and every day of the year.

I hope these ideas and techniques take you through the rest of the year with more joy and happiness. And, if you are looking for ways to create some new routines in the New Year, join me for a four-week Energy Medicine series on Turning Intentions into Reality. It’s all online and available as a recording. Make 2023 the best year yet!