038: How to Overcome Holiday Anxiety and Shift Your Mindset

Hey everyone, it’s Lisa J. here and welcome to another Build Your Belief show! It is officially the Christmas season! It is a beautiful time of year and I want to give you three ideas to help you create an even more intentional Christmas season, because too often you and I struggle with past memories. We struggle with a bad mindset from past memories and today’s the day and this is the year that you can radically transform your Christmas season with these three ideas.

Idea Number 1: I want you to be even more intentional in the feelings that you want to feel this season. Here’s what I mean by that, when you’re going Christmas shopping—well I do everything online, but when you go Christmas shopping as I’m going today for my mom, I’m creating the intention that I’m going to be friendly, kind-hearted, of-service, so that when I show up at JC Penney’s at the Chico mall maybe I let somebody go in front of me.

I am so aligned to just enjoying this time with my mom today. And I’m very aligned with the intention that I want to feel of finding the perfect gift, the perfect gift, and how do I find the perfect gift? It happens all the time for me. It’s just I get a sense of a feeling of how I want that person to feel when they open that gift. So, it’s really not about the gift it’s the feeling behind the gift. A better word for feeling is it’s the intention behind that gift. And I know this sound kind of esoteric, but it works! And when you can create a mindset that you are very intentional in your way of being before you go out and do your Christmas shopping, before you go visit a friend for the holiday season, before you do anything this season.

Watch your behaviors, watch your intention, how you do one thing is how you everything.

So, when you have the mindset that this is challenging, or that this is tough, and it’s going to be a struggle, and “Oh, I got to get the kids at the mall”—I remember, I know those days—then that’s what you’re going to create.

I want to give you a new way of being this year and that is to be intentional with your ideal way of being.

So, create it before you step in that mall, before you put those kids in their car seat, decide who you want to be today. What kind of mom, what kind of friend, what kind of daughter, what kind of sister, what kind of contribution to some strangers. And just watch how aligned you get with the perfect gift, with a sweet feeling, with a connection, with your parent, or your loved one, or your children, or a stranger.

So that’s idea Number 1, is be more intentional. If you are not intentional and you’re creating your day and who you’re being today in this Christmas season, you’re relying on your past memories. And those past memories suck. Some of them are creating a way of being that no longer serves you and you want to be different, so you got to create how you’re going to be to be different. So idea Number 1 is be intentional with your way of being and the feelings the emotions you want to feel and share.

Idea Number 2: be quiet. Just be quiet. I’m really working on this one. Just talk less, listen more. Say less, be open more. Stop being so opinionated, and you’re right, and having the mindset of you’re right, he’s wrong. And just show up as a generous listener. So step Number 2 is say less, be quiet, even be quiet in your mornings and just have some time to just be with yourself in this beautiful season, which is a season to celebrate birth, rebirth, connection, love, restoration.

And the third idea, I love this idea the most, it’s lighten up. Lighten up in everyway. So, stop putting so much requirement on yourself, your kids, how it’s supposed to look. Sometimes the foibles and mistakes at a Christmas party or your Christmas card—those are the best cards, that’s the best moment of your Christmas party. It’s the mistakes, it’s the foibles. So lighten up, usher in an incredible sense of humor. I always say, “Oops, there it is!” And I can really bring in a light spirit about the holiday time and the holiday season. And another part of lighten up is lighten up, like really go all out, do some fun things. Maybe you don’t like to go to parties. This season you’re going to go, “You know what, I’m going. I’m going to that white elephant exchange. I’m going. I’m going to play full out this Christmas season. I’m lightening up.”

So, lighten up in your way of being, but also light up, decorate. Maybe you’ve had a chip on your shoulder and it’s time to forgive yourself and whomever you need to forgive. And lighten up, It’s the Christmas season. So, go celebrate, go have some fun, do things that you don’t usually do. And don’t just stand there at that Christmas party, make conversation, get to know people, enjoy yourself and others, and enjoy who you can be this Christmas season.

And that is my Build Your Belief podcast show for you this week. Three ideas: be intentional, what’s the feeling you’re looking for and who you’re being. Number 2: be quiet, just say less, listen more. Number 3: lighten up. Lighten up in your sense of humor, lighten up in your expectations, and then lighten up, like go have some fun!

So, I’m going out and having some fun with my mom today in JC Penney’s at the Chico mall.

Bye everyone, make it a great Christmas week!