Here are 8 Festive Holiday Horrors and
how to build your resilience to change horrors to Joys!
The tempo is increasing this year more than ever… so,
what to do?
With new and unwelcome Covid relates pressures are you starting to feel the strain from all the familiar as well as new stressors piling up on you?
To assist you to be more change resilient, especially during this unusual holiday scenario, here are a series of articles with some ways to:
– increase your awareness
– strengthen your appropriate mindsets
– create helpful habits and actions
After dealing with a year of battling Covid and all the changes that it has, is and will entail, plus the festive season with all its extra stressors, some additional strategies for resilience maybe needed. Whichever hat you may be wearing, as a businessperson, an individual, for your teams and your family and friends here are some easy-to-do activities and mindsets to share and do.
Here are the 8 + 1 topics we will cover. This blog covers an overview of all 9 and a brief solution to the first horror. If you would like MORE, just send us your email address and we will send them to you – just in time!!
What are some of the 8 Festive Holiday Horrors?
1. What it COSTS (especially THIS year!)
2. How much FOOD is about!
3. Dealing with all these RELATIONS / friends etc. (or NOT!)
Plus feeling pressurised to do zoom calls!
4. How much TIME it all takes!
5. All the DRINKS available!
6. Your APPEARANCE for the holidays (for your Zoom parties!)
7. All the TEMPTATION all the time!
8. All the ‘SHOULDs’ and ‘OUGHTs’.
And because it can be SO horrible, we’ve added another…
9. Expecting to be the perfect EVERYTHING for everyone.
How to have some change resilient Festive Holiday Happiness?
1. STOP – yes, just STOP and think for a minute. Look at the BIG picture, what REALLY matters? And turn stuff OFF!
2. Say ‘NO!’ – But ever so nicely! Take CONTROL, act not RE-Act.
3. ‘Just cos’ is no reason – ASK WHY? Why do I do this? Is it what I really want?
4. PUSH BACK – against all the commercial/historic pressures. Every day just lean into time and make some time for yourself.
5. Remember YOUR ATTITUDE is the only thing you can change. Check that it is helping you, be realistically positive. YOU are in control.
6. Start to REWIRE YOUR BRAIN – you may wish to explore our Mind Chi routine – just 8 minutes a day.
7. BREATHE – if you feel stressed, breathe several deep full breaths, that is all you need to grab your reins of control back.
8. Concentrate on your GRATITUDE attitude – brings peace & energy. Take a minute to think of all the good things in your life.
And because we have so many more ways to resiliently thrive, we’ve added another…
9. You have immense power, so keep it and use it! It is your POWER – don’t give it away to the media and others.
Here is a map summary of all 9 Horrors and Resiliences: 
Why not be Stress-free & full of Glee?
And here is the first one. With so many on very restricted finances this year it is even more important than ever before.
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The COST Festive Holiday Horror and how to overcome it
What it COSTS (especially THIS year!)
The pressure from the media to spend, spend, spent is relentless. Shops give ‘free’ credit
(as long as you spend a certain amount and until Jan/Feb 2021 when a high interest rate cuts in).
There is the expectation from your friends, family, and co-workers for gifts.
There is extra food and entertaining, and then what are you going to wear? On and on the costs go.
And your money is probably tighter than ever and must go further than ever and many jobs feel precarious. Do NOT let yourself be swept away with the buying frenzy.
It is even easier to over-spend on-line, where just a click here and there and then you are enticed to just add this and that – all painlessly placed on your credit card or PayPal and delivered to your door – no problem. That is until you look at your bank balance.
You can probably add some more COST horrors as well. So, what to do?
Festive Holiday Happiness and Resilience – STOP!
STOP! Yes! Just STOP right there, right now and THINK before you rush headlong into the frenzy of DOING and buying. A little time to take the reins of control NOW will give you MONTHS of happiness later. Well worthwhile.
Look at your FINANCIAL BIG PICTURE – that will mean a REAL look at your bank balance.
How much is in there? Ad how long must it last? Finally, how much is already on your credit card(s)?
When are you receiving your next pay cheque? Therefore, how much is the MAXIMUM you can spend?
IF you find you have some pennies to spare (or have saved for this occasion well done!) then MAKE A LIST of the MOST important people to buy for and the maximum to be spent on their gifts.
THINK and RESEARCH options and best prices for those gifts.
This year everyone will understand if you say, ‘Might we agree to skip the gift giving this year?’
A gift for the person’s birthday – their special day – is more appropriate that the commercial holiday hype. A gift of some time or (don’t shudder) something you made gets you both off a hook neither of you can afford.
Now, we are not spoil-sports and you may ENJOY the holiday shopping frenzy, if so decide how much you can spend (this is on frivolous things, not the selected gifts) and then monitor every phone / card transaction – DO NOT GO OVER YOUR LIMIT! Off you go to the shops and have yourself some fun!
STOP when your limit is reached. And RESIST ‘If you take out a XXXX card, you’ll get 10% off all you have just bought’. Do NOT take up any new credit cards offers.
To recap, the 8 positive actions for Holiday Happiness And Resilience to overcome the Horror of the COST of the Holiday:
1. STOP! Think before you DO another thing
2. Look at your FINANCIAL BIG PICTURE, how much can you actually afford to spend now?
3. Always make a LIST of the important gifts to buy. Keep to your list
4. RESEARCH the options to find the best source for those gifts
5. Suggest that you SKIP giving gifts this year – bet they will love you for it
6. Only partake of the holiday shopping frenzy (if you do like it) with CASH you can afford
7. Never take out a new CREDIT CARD offered by a shop and
8. Consider a NON-MONITARY gift (time with the person next year; make or do something for them; swap skills – a massage for a meal, etc.).
This is the first of the Holiday Happiness and Christmas resilience – please send your email to Vanda and we will send you the other 8 articles covering all the remaining possible Holiday Horrors in depth. May we suggest filing this set of articles and having a trigger in your electronic diary to re-read them at the start of November? Then you can build your resilience and be ready for the maximum Holiday Joys!
