Monday Motivation : Finding Inner Peace

It can be a busy time right now with the Holidays coming up and I’ve been thinking of how crazy and chaotic people get around the Holidays. So I wanted to share a few tips on how I’ve found inner peace through healing and making a few lifestyle changes that really helped me become more calm and enjoy more of life in all aspects.

First, for those of you that may not know my story is that I went through a big transformation with my health and life. I suffered from an illness that made me very weak to the point that it was hard to get up from bed, walk, button up buttons and even speak etc. etc. So these experiences + a lot of stress from raising a baby (my first), a difficult time in our marriage and other personal problems as well as my business all added up to a lot of anxiety and stress in my life. 

I especially found myself very overwhelmed before Christmas – the expectations were insane. The gift buying, the house cleaning, the cooking, the neediness of my child, husband it all made me loose my senses. I got really emotional and anxious and could not keep up with my to-do list. It was really rough to get through each day especially as it crept up closer and closer to the holidays. There was just not enough hours in the day to do everything. I remember screaming in my car because I could not find a parking spot at the mall one (or more) time(s)!

Then I had this sudden realization and it hit me… what’s the point of all this if I’m not happy! 

So then I worked on changing my approach to living and enjoying the holidays again. Now I feel like I’m a completely different person. I found my peace because I found my inner peace. 

There will always be stressors trying to get you down or create chaos and anxiety in your life. You can’t change these outside factors. But you can choose how you react to them. And you can also choose whether you give the power over to the situation or if you hold the power of how it will unfold and spill into your life. Staying in control of your life; your emotions and reactions will dictate who will take over. Will it be your anger? Your ego? Or your voice-of- reasoning that will come out on the other side?

Here are a few tips that helped me change from a chaotic anxious nut to a much more centred peaceful person :

Get Proper Nutrition

When we are stressed we often skip meals/ forget to eat enough vegetables, forget to take vitamins etc. And we often let our cravings decide what we want – usually it’s sugar and empty carbs that our stressed and anxious body and brain wants – do not give into these cravings. They will only make you feel worse. Try to eat lots of vegetables and fruit for sweet cravings and have a regular intake of healthy proteins.

Get Proper Sleep

When there’s so much to do, we often get into a bad habit of staying up late and finishing a few jobs we didn’t get enough time to get done during the day. I used to do this all the time. I became a night owl and really loved it too – I felt like I got so much more done and my productivity was great when the house was completely quiet and I had no interruptions. This only leads to disaster. You will suffer greatly in the morning and then pick yourself up with caffeine and sugar to get through the day. Prioritizing sleep over unfinished tasks will help you create really great habits to function better during the day. Sleep will help you heal from anxiety essentially because that’s when your whole nervous system reboots. It’s a bad cycle and a tough one to break – I’ve been there! But it’s really essential. 10 pm is a great time for down time and start getting ready for bed. After a while, you will see amazing results in how you look and feel! Quality sleep is a cure-all! 

You actually don’t have to do it all!

As a perfectionist in nature, I really wanted to get so much done! I wanted my house to look like it was found on Pinterest, I wanted my gifts and gift-wrapping to be on point. I wanted stunning Christmas decor and a meal to match my high vibes – but all this was unreasonable. I wasn’t feeling the joy in any of it – or if I did it was only for a moment and then something else would overwhelm me!

Choose what really matters and let go of the rest. Have someone to help bake with you – sisters or your mom or mother-in-law. (Now all the ladies from our family get together before the holidays and bake together). Prep meals and freeze them so they’re out of the way. Get a maid to clean the house if you have to. Arrange play dates for the kids. Buy groceries and/ or gifts online. And maybe consider buying less? Maybe you can rethink the way Christmas gifts are given. (I remember we had over 20 people to shop for and some people were $50 or more each) we were so overwhelmed and our budget was shrinking from all our debt that we changed all of this). If this is also stressful, think about what really matters during the holidays and talk to your family about how you can enjoy more with less.

Don’t forget to breathe!

Take breaks and slow down as often as you can. I created a habit to even pause amongst the chaos and sip my tea and breathe slowly. Taking 5 deep breaths when things get tough is still my secret in overcoming major meltdowns. Treat yourself to blissful things – like gym time or spa time! I also go for a walk by myself to clear my head and get some air – this is one way that your take deep breaths naturally so it’s a win win!

 

And try to enjoy the little things that bring you happiness and overlook the things that put you down. Focus on the good ~ there is SO much good! All this happiness is really an inside job! 

I wish you all the very best! I hope you are finding your own happiness amongst the chaos and finding your inner peace!

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

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Wishing you a happy Monday and rest of the week AND a great Holiday Season!