3 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress

Welcome to Live, Work and Lead with Joy! I’m so glad you’re here. Biweekly, you’ll receive simple, practical insights to help you approach your leadership - and your life - with mindfulness, clarity, and joy.

If this is our first time meeting, you can learn more about me and the work I do here .

All over the world, families and friends are preparing for the winter holiday season, bringing a mix of excitement and, occasionally, dread. There never seems to be enough hours in the day, and with family visits and holiday parties on the horizon, getting everything done seems like an impossibility. Before you know it, your stress is bleeding over into your most beloved holiday traditions.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. While I can’t make cookies bake themselves or get your family to agree on a schedule, I can offer you a few tips to make space for more joy and authenticity this holiday season.?

Spend some time with yourself?

When the ground beneath is shaking, I steady myself with daily affirmations. Affirmations are a very powerful way to rewire our minds. An affirmation is a statement that we declare to be true. Say it enough, and that affirmation will become a belief. Because our beliefs form the foundation of our behaviors, what we believe has a massive effect on how we show up in the world.?

Affirmations are a very important part of my daily practice, anchoring new and positive thoughts that keep me afloat, no matter what comes at me throughout the day. I write one or two in my journal each day, taking time to ponder their meaning to me. Sometimes I stand up and repeat them out loud or write them on a post-it that I keep beside my computer. It may feel silly at first, but once you see the power of this practice, that feeling will pass.?

These are 3 affirmations I always come back to:?

• This too shall pass: In uncertain, turbulent times like these, I need to remind myself that there is an end. I need not worry if the hard times will end - they will.
• “If you resist change, you resist life” – Sadhguru: Life is all about change. Change brings opportunities. It brings challenges too, but most of those obstacles are amplified by our resistance. If we want to live life to the fullest, we must embrace change
• “Progress is happiness.” – Tony Robbins: All my clients have heard me repeat this quote (hopefully not ad nauseam). This quote reminds me to be patient and to honor my progress, no matter how small. Baby steps add up, after all.?

Embrace the imbalance?

Thousands of articles have been written about work/life balance, but it’s still elusive to many of us, especially this time of year. Yet we keep searching, because we believe that when we find it, we will be at peace at last. As a child, I played with my sister and cousins on the massive seesaw in our front yard. I would straddle the middle, trying desperately to keep both sides in equilibrium.? It was difficult. Too difficult. It required too much concentration and skill, so eventually I would jump off and have more fun bouncing the seesaw up and down wildly.?

I think of the seesaw every time I hear “work/life” balance. Balance is defined as a state of equilibrium, and it’s just as difficult to maintain as the seesaw. In trying to achieve work/life balance, we view them as opposing forces. But what if we shifted our perspective???

Work is a part of life. Trying to balance the two suggests that work and life are separated by a huge chasm, filled with stress. When we try to find equilibrium, we are constantly pulled from one to the other. Balance is a momentary thing. Once we find it, it’s gone. Like playing on a child’s seesaw, the joy is in the up and down, not the moment when we are perfectly balanced. When we speak of "work/life balance": what we really want is work that doesn’t overshadow our family, friends, health, and service. The more we create a life that is complete with work, the more joy we can find in both.?

Love is the answer?

When faced with daily challenges and a news cycle filled with tragedy, I do my best to hold fast to my mantra, “Love is the answer.” It’s very easy to say, but much less easy to do. But most of the time, love-based action is the antidote. Here’s what I mean.?

Over the years I have repeatedly said to my children, “I will always love you. I may not like something that you do, but I will always love you”. Love-based action is about acceptance. We free our focus from the person to their actions. When we remember this, have more clarity and become free to suggest, propose or take different actions. Not sure? Think of a particular team member or co-worker who is presenting a challenge to you. Try accepting them just as they are; not excusing them, accepting them. Neither of you are bad people, you are just humans, doing the best you can. Shift your focus to the behavior that is causing the problem. Perhaps explore how your own behavior has contributed to it. Once you have removed the judgments, you can actually solve the problem.

This holiday season, stay in a space of love. Whenever a problem arises or tempers flare, remember this truth: we are all love and loved – even those who challenge you.

Need help becoming the leader you want to be? Click here .?

Thank you so much for reading! Make sure to click “subscribe” in the upper right-hand corner so you don’t miss an issue!?

If you want to know more about my work with leadership coaching, mindfulness training, or team strategy and culture facilitation, you can find it on my website or contact me directly at [email protected]

Marguerite Orane is dedicated to changing the way we live and work so that we do so with joy. She coaches leaders in realizing the value that joy and happiness at work bring to people and profits. With over 30 years in strategy consulting and general management, Marguerite’s commitment is to help leaders and their teams joyfully bring strategy to life to achieve their desired results.