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Be De-Stressed, Not Distressed

On this last Sunday of the year, I hope you will take some time to enjoy the silence we discussed yesterday and take some comfort from the next of our Virtues of Christmas.

Tranquillity

Tranquillity. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
~Benjamin Franklin

We slowed down and found our guiding voice in the silence, but now we’ve got to trust it to lead us.

⁶The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

⁸The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
~Psalm 121:6-8

In less religious terms, “don’t sweat the small stuff“. Part of living in tranquility is recognizing what to get stressed about. Near-death experiences are legitimately stressful circumstances that can even lead to PTSD in worst-case situations.

Most other mishaps don’t require persistent stress. Take a deep breath and let it go.

Reflect for a moment that it could have been worse and be grateful that it wasn’t. This attitude of gratitude can turn incidental stress on its head and provide you the serenely tranquil life you deserve.

Christmas Stress

Something that is often said about the holiday season is that it is inescapably linked with STRESS! This need not be the case, particularly if we’re going to try to live by the Christmas Virtues.

Self-Care is NOT selfish

As your bank balance might tell you, you simply cannot just keep giving and giving and giving. At some point, even the deepest of wells run dry. It’s time to sit down and catch up with all of the stress that has been heaping upon you.

Some of it, you take willingly to your own detriment. Some of it happens in spite of your best intentions. However it comes, stress is not your friend and it’s time to take a moment and lighten your load.

Tranquility For Her

Ladies have a tendency to put others first. That’s an admirable trait, but it can lead to all of her energy being spent before all of the infinite tasks she’s assigned herself get done. Once that happens, she can find herself in a truly wretched state of self-recrimination. She knows how much she wanted to do and has burned herself out trying to get even a fraction of it done. That leaves her in no fit state to help anyone.

Just like they tell you at the airline safety briefing, put your own mask on before you try to help anyone else. Without that supply of fresh air, you’ll do more harm than good. Let’s look at some ways to help her recharge her Christmas Spirit:

At-Home Spa:
When you need some you-time at Yuletide and there’s neither time nor money left in the end-of-year budget to take a day away at a glamor spa, you can always treat yourself to a bit of pampering at home.There are so many products available in every price bracket that will help you restore your sparkle in time to save the holidays from spiraling down into a Christmas calamity.
Read Inspirational Stories:
There are so many wonderful, heartwarming stories to help you to get back in touch with your inner beauty. There are excellent anthologies such as the Chicken Soup For the Soul books that can help you reconnect with your sense of wonder and boost your holiday happiness. You can read them yourself for a recharge or read them aloud with friends to share some positive feminine energy.
Warm fuzzy socks:
Don’t underestimate the power of simple comforts like warm socks or pajamas to bring a quick and lasting boost out of your holiday blues. Keeping your feet cozy and warm is an automatic attitude adjustment. They look cute and help fill up extra space in your winter boots if you absolutely must go outside on your R&R day.

Tranquility For Him

Guys have a tendency to ignore the signs of stress. Thinking that admitting weakness is for wimps, fellas can keep their nose to the grindstone entirely too long for their own good. Stress has a number of harmful effects that are cumulative.

As much as we like to try to knuckle down and try to make the holidays perfect for the wife and kids, we can drive ourselves right onto an exhausted heap. Let the holidays be a time of joy with the following tips:

Turn down the heat:
A roasting-hot house isn’t good for stress or your budget. There’s truth in the saying “hot under the collar“, particularly for me. I’m very much an Autumn and Winter lover. Being overheated gets you cranky and aggressive and that’s when holiday throwdowns start.
e-liminate distractions:
Put your phone in ‘do not disturb’ mode and try an app like Flipd to help you cut down on obsessive phone usage and social media addiction.
Slow down:
It’s not Christmastime if you can’t schedule a day to stay in your jammies! Some people can’t even cope with calling it Christmastime because of the stress associated with the holidays. If that’s the case, do what Buster Baxter did and make one up!