Team Body Firm~
Today I had the opportunity to talk with a group of men about dealing with Holiday stress. To get prepared for this seminar, I interviewed men to find out what DOES stress them out during this time of year. I mean, as a female, I know what stresses me and my girlfriends out, but I never really looked at it from the lens of male eyes. What I found out was WE stress them out the most (We being females!) because we worry, stress, rush, angst and obsess over the perfection and expectations of the Holidays. Now, I realize I am completely generalizing here, but there is an element of truth to this!
Conversely and ironically, we (being females) don’t want to feel stressed, worried, obsessive or angst. We really just want to have fun and enjoy time with family and friends…just like our male counterparts.
The pressure of “what we think we are supposed to be and do” seems to wiggle it’s way into this time of year…for both men and women; young and mature.
Remember oh so long ago when we were 10 and the simplicity of Christmas morning, spending time with cousins and friends, tinkering with our toys and staying in our PJ’s all day was all we really needed? We didn’t care if we were dressed perfectly, or if our table was dressed with the right colors and flowers; we just wanted to laugh and have fun; to show and be loved and to spend time with those we truly wanted to be with.
What if, just for one day during this time of year, we stayed in our PJ’s, we laughed, we let go of being perfect, we threw a snowball or two and we just enjoyed the specialness of this time of year…the meaning of the Holidays. What if, for one day we felt peace in our hearts and we offered peace to someone else.
Doing today’s seminar, brought me a little clarity on letting go a little of my own ideal of what I think I am supposed to do and be. It helped me see what others view as stressful and is helping me understand what I might be able to create so that I can lower someone else’s stress and offer them peace…once person, one smile at a time. Maybe if we all do this, just for a day or even a moment, a tiny shift in the season can occur.
Happy, healthy Holidays!
