End of the Year Advice

Ahhhh the holidays are upon us. This can elicit joy or dread, overwhelm or excitement- or anything in between!
 
Be extra gentle with yourself if you are in the chaos of the season. Ground yourself daily. Stay in present time. Beware of distractions that want to knock you off course. Make lists of to-dos and prioritize those lists and then stay focused as you accomplish them, one task at a time. Don’t overcommit or try to do it all. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Give from the heart, not the wallet. Most of all, trust that you’re enough and what you’ve done is enough. If something doesn’t work, it’s not the end of the world. Mistakes and accidents happen, cut yourself slack and be present to what’s actually happening in front of you versus your ideal vision of how it’s supposed to be. At the end of the day, people remember heart felt conversations and being together way more than if the meat was over cooked and the napkins didn’t match. Breathe and allow.
 
If you get triggered by family, excuse yourself and use the bathroom. Take deep breaths in there. Deep belly breaths through the nose. Remember what they’re saying is about them and not about you. People speak through their projections, and sometimes family cannot see the truth of you and who you are now, they see you in a past version. Let it be a reflection on them, not on you. Don’t take anything personally. And if your inner child or inner adolescent needs to vent, go ahead and throw a tantrum and silent scream in the bathroom. Then pull yourself together and come out as the adult, handling things in a mature way.
 
You always have a choice in how you respond so no response is as powerful as a witty comeback. Sometimes, it’s better not to engage, so know when walking away and silence are best. If you’re fighting to win or prove your point, you’ve allowed your negative ego to take over. Be the Buddha instead. 
 
And if you’re feeling lonely, then give to someone else: be of service, volunteer. Getting outside yourself and giving to others is a sure fire way to raise your vibration and get out of your story.
 
 
As we wind down the year, remember we’re ending a decade as well so do something on New Years Eve to say goodbye to all that the 2010s brought you, good and bad, happy and sad. Acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments, release the pain and any scars you’re holding, and forgive what needs to be forgiven so that you can enter this new decade with a clean slate. 
 

• Gabby Bernstein suggests writing what you want for this next year and then burning it on New Years Eve as a sign of trust that the Universe will deliver. 
• Marie Forleo has a whole technique to release this past decade and welcome the new. Click here to watch.
• And me, I write it all out: everything I’m grateful for in the last 10 years, everything I’m ready to let go of and no longer choose bring into the new decade, and then what I desire for this next year and in the 2020s. If you do not know specifics, you can always just write out the energies, ie: vitality, joy, inner peace, etc. I tend to write a combo of the energies I choose to experience and some goals.

 
There are so many ways to mark the closing of this decade, do something to mark this transition.
 
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Solstice!
 
Talk to you on January 1st!