The holiday season always poses some unique challenges, and this year brings that to a whole new level. Thankfully, it also brings more of an opportunity to remain in our own space and energy, if we so choose. The end-goal remains the same—to Revel in LOVE, joy, gratitude, peace, and Light—but how we get there might look a little different.
It’s important to understand that anxiety levels naturally increase at this time of year, as the cold, dry air moves in around us. The increase in the air/wind element in nature happens within our bodies as well, and this triggers anxiety—especially in the Sensitive community, which is already prone to it.
We are also sensitive to energy. (Just because most people can’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!) People’s stress levels increase at this time of year because there are so many details to address on top of an already full to-do list. We are also around people that we don’t see very much during the year, and are often reminded that there is a very good reason for this. We feel the increase in frenetic energy on behalf of the collective and have to wade through it.
Feeling more than 80% of the population has its up- and down-sides. It’s much easier for us to feel the all-encompassing expansive energy of Joy, and it’s also much easier for us to be affected by everyones confused emotional states.
Understanding that you are not strange or alone is the key to acceptance. Telling yourself that you shouldn’t be feeling this way, talking yourself out of less-than-desirable feelings, and pushing through is counterintuitive.
Here are 5 ways to honor your sensitivities as the superpowers they are, instead:
1. Eat real food.
• Our bodies feed on the energy that food contains, as well as the substance. Choosing the freshest, highest quality possible, and blessing the food in your own way before eating it ensures that you are nourishing yourself as much as possible.
• Having food prepared ahead of time helps us to make more supportive choices when hunger strikes quickly. This eliminates the mindless grab and go and excess indulgence on whichever sugary holiday snack food crosses your path.
• When you do choose to indulge in a sugary morsel, eat without guilt or shame. Be fully present with and enjoy it so that your soul and/or the craving is fed. This way, and your body can process it at its highest vibration and draw the most positive energy from it. (I mean, let’s get real, so much holiday food is made with copious amounts of Love, so there is nourishment there!)
2. Have a plan.
Having the support of people who understand you is key.
If you get sucked into a situation that feels like an energy drain (for example a conversation with someone who is particularly negative), excuse yourself. You can step into a restroom to regroup and take some deep breaths, take a walk, or just close the Zoom meeting and come back.
• Have an agreement with a friend in your soul family that you can call each other anytime you need a moment of sanity or support.
• Position the person with the best energy (in your opinion) at your left, as energy flows into your body via this side. Having an energy that feels complementary to you will make for a much more pleasant experience!
3. Give with Integrity.
• Support businesses and charities that you stand behind and want to continue to survive and thrive. Every dollar spent casts a vote that speaks volumes. Giving in a way that aligns with your core values will leave you feeling expanded and nourished.
• Create something. The time, energy, and Love that is infused in it will be greatly appreciated. If not now, in the near future.
• Give a gift that disappears and leaves no waste behind. Get creative with this one!
4. Recognize when you need a break and honor it.
We hold ourselves to an unrealistic standard that requires us to function the same way as everyone else. Yet we feel and process so much more energy.
Because of this, most of us push through our own warning signs and miss the signs that our sensitive children present that a break is needed.
These may include (but are not limited to):
• shallow breathing
• that floaty feeling that means you have “checked out” of your own body and experience
• feeling panicky
• anxiety
• overwhelm
Pushing through is acting through expectation and obligation and has never gotten us anywhere other than feeling tired, jumpy, stressed, irritable, and maybe even exhausted. So, It’s time for a new approach where we practice radical self-care, noticing when our body and mind start communicating their needs, and listening.
Schedule some pre-gathering radical self-care times on your calendar and deeply nourish all parts of you—body, mind, and spirit. This time is non-negotiable. You cannot remove it no matter what.
5. Make a list.
We carry a lot of concerns for ourselves and others with us, and getting our to-do lists out of our heads frees up space and energy that can be more effectively used for other things. It takes a lot of energy to remember the things we have to do.
Then, refer to said list and delegate tasks. Let the children help. Ask or pay a friend. Hire a service. Lots of people enjoy having a little extra cash around the holidays.
These things may seem simplistic, but they create huge results. This is crucial, because it is so important for us to be able hold our center so that we can help to balance the world around us. Isn’t that what we feel called to do in the first place?
The closer we get to balance, the more we can ride the waves of energy and emotion as they ripple through us and the world, operate from abundance in all things, leave behind fear and lack mentality, and attract those we want to be around into our lives.
And we can help others ride the waves, too.
Remember, as a highly sensitive empathic being, you are actually a lot stronger than you believe you are. If nothing else, this year has proven that you can handle more than you ever thought you could. It just requires internal strength and flexibility.
So, try these tips and get ready to breathe deeply through the Holiday Season, perhaps for the first time in ages—no matter what the world outside of you looks like!