Happy Holidays & Managing Holiday Expectations
Happy Holidays
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season this year. It really can be the most wonderful time of the year, but the holidays can also bring with it a great deal of stress and expectations. This can come from a variety of reasons.
Are you struggling to manage it all this holiday season? Are you travelling, grieving a loved one, or feeling lonely during the holidays? I cover these tough moments in my latest blog post on how to manage holiday stress. #HolidayStress #StressManagement #HolidaySeason #FamilyStress
Holiday Stresses Include:
Pressure to attend every holiday party that you’re invited to
Your list of gifts to purchase is overwhelming
Not knowing what to buy
Worried about meeting expectations
Money stresses
Sadness for those that are not longer with you
Traveling to get to your destination
Dealing with difficult people/relationships
Attempting to adhere to traditions
Not having downtime or time to decompress
Are you feeling the holiday stress? Do you wish you knew of some ways to manage it all plus still enjoy the holiday season? Here are my tips to dealing with Holiday Stress. #HolidayStress #StressManagement #HolidaySeason #FamilyStress
How to Handle Holiday Stress:
Remember it is okay to say “no” to attending events if it’s overwhelming you.
There is no such thing as a perfect gift, so let yourself off the hook…
Think about the person your buying for and ask yourself what you’d want if you were in their shoes.
If you really don’t know what to buy, ask for suggestions or a list of ideas.
Remember it’s not worth going into debt to buy gifts. There are many ways to give gifts to show you care without breaking the bank. Remember the thought is what counts.
If you’re missing someone who has passed, find ways to memorialize or remember them during your holiday celebrations. They may be gone but not forgotten and it is up to you how you want to incorporate this into your celebrations.
When traveling, it’s a good idea to hope for the best but to plan for the worst. Don’t go into traveling with the expectation that everything will go perfectly.
If things aren’t going the way you want them to, try to remember you always have a choice how you want to respond to the situation. You will get to your destination, even if it’s a bit later than you were hoping.
Boundaries are especially important when dealing with difficult people and relationships. I wrote a recent blog post on how to deal with boundaries during the holidays, so I hope you’ll check it out if you’re worried about this during the holidays.
Remember you don’t owe anything to anyone and you have a right to set boundaries to protect yourself emotionally.
There is nothing wrong with traditions, but if the process of adhering to them is causing you stress, it is okay to reevaluate them or to decide not to continue any of them that are not bringing you joy.
You could even choose to change the tradition or make your own new ones!
Self-care includes having time to reset and decompress. If you are constantly in “go mode” you may be feeling overwhelmed from not having downtime during the holidays.
Remember that taking time to recharge yourself is not a bad thing. You cannot give from an empty cup, so make sure you refilling it!
Are you ready to experience more joy and less stress during the holidays? Self care and boundaries are incredibly important. Here's my ideas for managing holiday stress so you can enjoy the holidays. #HolidayStress #StressManagement #HolidaySeason #FamilyStress
Relationship Reset Workshop
The holiday season can put stress on your romantic relationship, so you may be looking for a way to reset things as the holidays wind down. I am in the process of launching my Relationship Reset Coaching Workshop, and it’s just what you need to get your relationship back on track.
I have taken my clinical skills and created an online workshop course that you can go through at your own pace in the privacy of your own home or where ever you would like to consume this content. I have taken everything I’ve learned about couples, sex and relationships and created this course for you.
What Do You Get
Basically, you get a crash course in all the things we would talk about and go through in about 9 therapy sessions all in an online course workshop format.
There are videos, activities, assessments, the option to have 1:1 coaching with me directly, and you get all of this at a cost much lower than you would pay per session with me in individual appointments.
Course Description Details
You’ll get access to weekly teaching videos with me and access to the corresponding materials with each new video.
Learn about your tendencies, strengths and DISC profiles to see and understand how they show up in your relationship.
Learn about and understand The 5 Love Languages and how to best give and receive love in your relationship.
Learn about and understand the concept of Imago therapy and how the images you project on your partner can set up unrealistic expectations or patterns that are unhealthy.
Learn to deal with expectations and how to handle the cognitive dissonance that occurs when expectations are not met and you’re left with an expectation hangover.
Understand boundaries and how to set them in your relationship.
Create a relationship vision to help you get on and stay on the track you want in your relationship with a shared goal.
Develop clearer communication patters to ensure the message you are trying to send is the message you are actually sending.
Create fair rules for fighting plan so things are actually accomplished when you are not on the same page.
Create a plan for how to handle sex and intimacy in your relationship.
Discuss the importance of individual and relationship self-care.
Get direct 1:1 sessions with me.
30 minute meeting prior to workshop beginning.
30 minute meeting with each member of the couple
30 minute wrap up meeting after the workshop is complete.
The Relationship Reset workshop goes live on February 1, and as a kickoff special during the holidays I’m discounting it to the lowest prices you’ll ever see. After this first round, prices will go back to normal, so you will want to sign up ASAP!
After completing this course, you will also have the option to continue with 1:1 sessions for a discounted rate! This is the gift that keeps on giving as you’ll get the resources you need to have the relationship you want!
You can also find it and all my other courses on my Work with Me page. As soon as I get notice you’ve signed up, I’ll reach out to schedule your initial video call with me! I can’t wait to help you reset your relationship and get things back on track! Let’s do this!
Coaching and Consulting
As I mentioned, I’m in the process of creating a number of new coaching and consulting programs, groups, workshops and courses. I will also be offering 1:1 coaching services for people looking to live their best life and to feel less stuck by their current circumstances. I you are interested in having an initial consultation with me, I’d love to grab a quick phone call with you to see if we are a good fit. Send me an email lindsay@lindsaywalden.com and we will set up a time to chat!
Work with Me
If you are interested in setting up an appointment for therapy, life coaching, or consulting or if you would like more information about starting the Relationship Reset course, you can call my office directly at 314-485-9189 or feel free to send me a message. My direct email address is lindsay@lindsaywalden.com and you can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more life and relationship tips!
Coach Crate
I cannot speak highly enough about Coach Crate. This monthly subscription service has helped me stay regular with my own self-care in so many ways, and I would love to have you join me on the Coach Crate adventure. It would make a great addition to the other work you are doing to live your best life.
January is all about habits and creating routines that work for you not against you. If you sign up with my link, you can save money on your first order by using the code FIRSTBOX at checkout! I stalk my mailbox waiting it to arrive each month, and I know you’ll love it as much as I do!
Therapy Thoughts with Lindsay Podcast
Each new podcast episode is uploaded to my Therapy Thoughts Podcast Blog on the website Thursday afternoons at 2:00pm CST, and then it is shared to all the podcasting sites from there. It is also available on the Apple iTunes podcast site. You can subscribe, so you will never miss an episode!
If you want to check out last week’s Episode 18, here is the link.
I really am so grateful to all of you for your continued support, and I hope you’ll tune in this Thursday for Episode 19. Remember to make sure that you are following all my social media platforms so will know when each new episode is available. And, make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel, so you will be able to watch the episodes once we start recording them on video as well as audio!
