5 Steps to Cut Through the Holiday Crap

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This is a guest post by Erika Oliver, MPA

5 Steps To Cut Through the Holiday Crap

Whether you embrace the magic of Christmas, are kin to the Grinch, or fall somewhere in between, the holiday season brings many opportunities for both stress and joy. It’s easy to get caught up in the stress but often hard to tap into the joy. Holiday “crap” — obligations, deadlines, expectations — can make the season more stressful than joyful.

5 Steps to Cut Through the Holiday Crap

Don’t despair. You can cut the crap and enjoy the season by choosing your perspective, deciding what you want to focus on, and taking action to avoid or relieve the holiday pressure

Cut the Crap by Sharing 3 Good Things

Share three good things about the day or season before you even think about complaining. The most common words during the holiday season are “busy”, “stressed”, and “tired”. Throw the negative words into your mental back seat and replace them with words of gratitude.

Cut the Crap by Revising, Replacing or Removing Traditions That No Longer Serve You

A child asks his mother why they cut off the end the holiday ham and the mother says, “Because that’s the way my mother did it.” The child asks the grandmother, who says the same thing. When asked, the great-grandmother said, “Because the ham wouldn’t fit in the pan!” Maybe it’s time to recheck traditions and routines to be sure they still fit, have the same meaning as they did, or produce the intended results. If you are doing something that creates tension, cut the crap by revising, replacing or removing something that no longer serves you.

Cut the Crap by Creating a Holiday Exit Strategy

Prepare for a positive finish to the holiday season. Decide what experiences are important for you and how you want to feel when the season is over. If you don’t want to be tired, broke and stressed, then make a plan to end the season with energy, joy and financial well-being.

Cut the Crap by Taking Your Eyes Off Your Plate

Holiday negativity festers in a closed environment. Stress can cause us to isolate ourselves emotionally and physically, so cut the crap by reaching out. The holidays are the perfect time to take your eyes off your own plate and look to fill others.

Cut the Crap by Dousing the Flames of Negativity

Firefighters teach people to “stop, drop, and roll” if their clothes catch on fire. The same strategy works to cut the tendency to focus on the negative and miss the positive. When you feel tension, stop what you are doing, drop your negative feelings and roll into appreciation of the moment. Go back to step one and share three good things about the day, moment or season with someone to tap into the positivity of the season.
Happy holidays to one and all.

Author Bio

Erika Oliver, MPA, is a communication coach, business consultant, and author of the award-winning Three Good Things: Happiness Every Day, No Matter What!, Three Good Things: A Coloring Book for Everyone! and Happy Crap: The Power of Positive Assumptions. A recovering pessimist, Oliver is now a Positive Approach Coach who helps people, teams, and organizations find their “happy.” She uses the principles of detailed in her books to help people and organizations choose a positive approach. Learn more at http://www.erikaoliver.com

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