We can be pretty critical of ourselves during times of stress, especially during the holiday season due to added time restraints, pressure and functions. Between societal expectations, dinner planning, holiday parties, work events, family, shopping, etc., the holidays can be down right un-jolly at times. When our defenses are down, we can become vulnerable, exposing ourselves to uncomfortable feelings.
The inability to share emotions or the inability to verbally express our needs can lead us down a path of deception. We learn to create coping methods that make sense to our emotional-self, and sometimes, we don’t make the most healthiest choices. Over eating, drinking too much, isolation – we lose our authentic selves a little each time we disconnect from reality.
Here are several ways you can manage your inner critic and stay connected for the holiday season.
- Learn to let go of expectations. “What happened? Your expectations happened.”
- Less is more. You will get more accomplished by doing less.
- Step outside. Fresh air and nature are incredibly grounding. If all you have is a few minutes a day, I suggest two yoga poses: the Mountain Pose, to reconnect with the earth and the Warrior Pose, for stability and confidence.
- Challenge your comfort zones to boost confidence. Try something new everyday. Doesn’t have to be big either. Take a new route to work, introduce yourself to someone at the office, eat at a different restaurant, sit somewhere different.
- Rearrange your furniture. This is a fantastic way to boost creativity while creating a new space for comfort.
- Practice not taking things personally. Only time and practice can make you better at this.
- Visualization Techniques.
- Chant. Chanting is a spiritual language that makes sense to you. Mantras not only raise your frequencies, but because of the breathing techniques, normalizes your heart beat, and can control blood pressure. Create a mantra that feel right to you!
It’s important we create a go-to routine that makes sense to us. Specifically designed to ground us, something we can be mindful about for a minute or two, and something that we can use wherever and whenever throughout the day. The deeper we explore and learn about ourselves, the more quiet our critic will be.
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