We get it. This holiday season is likely to be different. So we asked Coaches Kristin and Donna to share their secrets to staying grounded throughout the holidays.
How can setting a daily routine help you stay grounded during the holiday season with all of the extra stress it can bring, especially this year?
Like many of us, Coach Kristin says she can get super stressed during the holidays trying to meet the expectations of others. To counteract stress, she keeps a healthy morning routine of meditation and journaling. “Sometimes,” Kristin says, “our rituals and habits can be hard to maintain during the holidays. We need to make space for them. We won’t feel great if we let them go.”
As a mom of three and a graduate student working four jobs, Coach Donna knows stress. She notes that maintaining routines and rituals helps create structure out of chaos. “Structure helps us manage the extra tasks and worries that come with the holidays,” Donna says. She reminds us to take a break and prioritize.
Can you walk us through some of your most important daily routines and rituals?
Donna makes a daily to-do list every morning and sometimes a weekly one too. This helps her stay grounded and keeps tasks more manageable, leading to less procrastination. She also schedules calls, her workouts, and her “shut-off” time. Donna says, “I shut off at a specific time every night. I don’t do any work after it. I do something that helps me wind down, such as lighting a candle. And I make time for self-care.”
For Kristin, taking 10-15 minutes first thing in the morning to meditate and journal is a key part of her daily routine. “Right after I wake up, I use the Insight Timer app to record my meditation, and it helps me stay on target.” Kristin also creates a quiet space with lots of plants near a window for this daily ritual. And she makes a point of focusing on affirmations and gratitude.
What rituals and routines will be different this year?
Acknowledging the differences and that this year isn’t normal is one way Kristin is lessening the pressure to live up to expectations of past holidays. She believes the holidays are important because they create light in the darkness, and this year is giving us the space to experience that.
Donna agrees that this year, with fewer places to go, things to do, and parties to attend, means we can enjoy more and stress less. However, she believes holiday stressors may be more emotional because we can’t be with our loved ones. So she’s paying extra attention to self-care to stay mentally healthy and relaxed.
Whether your celebration includes old or new traditions, we hope Donna and Kristin’s daily routines and rituals help you stay relaxed and healthy this holiday season.
