ALL IS CALM: Simplify your holidays

The holidays are coming.

In a good year, they can be stressful.

In a stressful year . . . Well, they can be completely overwhelming.

Instead of being the “bright spot” that so many of them are designed to be, the holidays require a lot of energy. That is particularly true if you identify as female, since somehow the bulk of the planning, shopping, cleaning, cooking, decorating, gift-giving, and emotional caretaking falls on you.

When it comes to holidays such as Diwali, Chanukah, Advent and Christmas, or Kwanzaa, we light candles or oil lamps to push back the darkness of winter and illuminate things. In all cases, including Thanksgiving and New Year’s, it is also traditional to gather with families, friend, and community in order to honor our relationships and cultures, and to celebrate.

This year, before those holidays even arrive, what has been plainly illuminated for many of us is that we are already maxed out. Dealing with our usual obligations—work, home, family, school and more—has all been made more difficult and more stressful in the time of COVID. Many of us are still working from home; some of us are working from home with partners or children who are doing the same thing, or having to monitor their kids’ remote learning experiences.

When we think about past holiday seasons, where many of us in the United States celebrate more than one of the holidays I’ve included in this post, we can see how the holidays create stress for many of us. We know that it’s a stressful time of year for many people, and that issues like anxiety and depression often spike in the last two months of the calendar year. Nevertheless, we tend to repeatedly throw ourselves and all the energy we have into creating some idealized fantasy holiday.

Back when we first started “doing” the holidays for ourselves, we started with A. Maybe it was a single menorah or Kinara, a small statue and a few lamps for Diwali, a simple Christmas tree, just a turkey and a couple sides for Thanksgiving, a bottle of bubbly for New Year’s Eve. The next year, we added B. Then C. Then we added D-K. And more.

What we don’t usually do is to remove or reduce anything. Some of the things we added along the way—or even some of the things we started with in the first place—may not resonate with us anymore, yet we still do them. Maybe it’s gifts for people who you would rather stop giving to (whatever reason you have for that is valid!), or decorations that don’t speak to you the way they once did, or putting out 15 different foods for dinner when 6 items would literally be more than enough.

What if you could create a holiday that was less stressful and chaotic?

What if—this year—you could simplify your celebrations and create a calmer, more mindful experience?

All is Calm is a four-week group course that helps you to achieve a simpler, less-stressed holiday. It is priced at $59, which was literally the price that popped into my head when I consulted the Universe for guidance—even though the components of the course easily have a value ten times that price. But the heart wants what it wants, and my heart wants to share this with as many people as possible, so instead of pricing it at $750, you can join for $59.

Here’s what ALL Is calm entails:

Each week, you will receive an email with resources for you to use, including planning tools, journaling prompts, moments of mindfulness, and more.

We will have a 35 minute Zoom call each week to discuss the weekly goal, whether it is reviewing past holidays and your “usual” routine, envisioning a new holiday, planning a way to accomplish it, or seeing that plan through and reviewing so you are ready for next year. (I’m keeping the Zoom calls brief on purpose because so many of you are already zoomed out.)

There’s also a Facebook group inside which I will post daily mindfulness prompts to sustain you through the course. A place where you can share any thoughts, frustrations, dreams, or goals. A place to find sisterhood and support as you navigate this year’s holiday season.

For more info on this opportunity, I invite you to check out the sales page here. Or you can use this link to sign up today.