How One Simple Tool Can Set you Free From Christmas Stress
According to the people who study such things, you can anticipate your Holiday Stress peaking at exactly 2:33pm on Wednesday Dec. 23rd. Really? How did we get into such an established and predictable pattern of unconsciousness around this holiday? To what extent do you fall into martyrdom and perfectionism?
In a survey of 2000 North American mothers, 67% report finding Christmas Day stressful. 80% of mothers say they ‘always try to do too much’. They rated their stress levels as 70% over the Christmas period.
And this next one is particularly amusing (mostly because I’ve been there) – 30% of women are annoyed at their partners who don’t get anywhere near as stressed as they do while an equal number say they wouldn’t trust their partner to do any holiday tasks properly. What?
According to a survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, here are the top 10 things that people use to create holiday stress:
68%: Crowds and long lines
37%: Gaining weight
37%: Getting into debt
28%: Gift shopping
25%: Traveling
24%: Seeing certain relatives
23%: Seasonal music
19%: Disappointing gifts
16%: Having to attend holiday parties or events
15%: Having to be nice
Really? We’re stressed out about having to be nice? What happened to Hope, Peace, Joy and Love?
Many of us perpetuate the myth that holding this level of stress has no consequences. Some people know otherwise.
“Stress compromises the immune system and makes you prone to the dreaded Christmas cold.”
“For the average woman, stress manifests itself in the form of tiredness followed by anger and general irritability.” What does that do to important relationships?
And even our wallets and purses aren’t immune as the bills come rolling in in January and we realize we’re going to have to work more hours in order to pay for them. Holiday stress affects every aspect of our lives – health, wealth, work and relationships. It’s worth considering how to solve this problem.
The newspapers and online blogs are full of ‘cheats’ to reduce holiday stress.
31% of women now buy gifts online
10% take advantage of retailers wrapping their gifts
10% actually ask their mothers to help with preparations and…
15% purchase pre-prepared Christmas dinner.
It strikes me that these strategies are ‘tips in sheep’s clothing’. They aren’t really dealing with the root of the problem – just shifting it around a little bit.
The most enlightened authors go a little bit deeper. They ask questions like, “How could you make Christmas easier for you?” “What could you let go of doing at Holiday time?” “What rituals are really meaningful to you at Christmas?”
But how are you to come up with answers to these questions when you’re stressing about whether Aunt Martha is going to like the sweater you bought her?
I’d like to suggest that you take powerful action to get to the root of the problem.
The root of the problem is your biological stress reaction! As you retrain your brain how to stay calm in the face of pressures and expectations, you’ll receive all kinds of amazing gifts! Better health, happier relationships, fuller bank accounts and more meaningful work.
Emotional Freedom Techniques is the gift of a lifetime. It is so simple to learn and to use and it’s scientifically proven to calm the emotional centres of the brain that produce your flood of stress hormones. Imagine being truly present with yourself and your family this holiday season. Imagine truly feeling the hope, peace, love and joy that we are all meant to enjoy.
Watch the basic Bronze Standard EFT tapping video here.
Just think about ‘holiday stress’ as you tap along. Learn it in 4 minutes and it’s yours to use wherever you are – in the shopping mall line-up, at the relative’s house and even when you ‘have to be nice’!