Avoid the Upcoming Holiday Season Stress with These 5 Secret Tactics!

Whatever it is, just say no.

What's the worst that's gonna happen?

Somebody's gonna get their little feelings hurt?

Well, I personally believe that your feelings, your life, are a little bit more important.

Welcome to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and I'm excited to welcome you inside.

This is the kind of place where your glass will never be anything other than half full because we choose to focus on the positive side of life.

Now, this doesn't mean that we shy away from the real talk.

No, not a chance.

Matter of fact, we explore all aspects of life.

From the good, the bad, and the ugly.

But all of that is done with one purpose.

One purpose to inspire you to never give up on life.

Even when it may seem like life has given up on you.

Now I get it, life is hard.

But starting today, you've got grit, grace, and inspiration.

What's going on, and welcome back to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

I am your host, Kevin Lowe, and as always, I am thrilled to have you joining me today.

In case this is your first time here on the podcast and you have no clue who Kevin Lowe is, well, you could say I'm just your ordinary 30-something, still trying to find my place in the world while trying to make a difference in people's lives like yours along the way.

And that's why I have this very podcast is to be a source of inspiration, motivation, empowerment to help you take on the day every day, of course, with grit, grace, and inspiration.

Now, there is no better time to talk about the need to take on the day with grit, grace, and inspiration than the holiday season.

And like it, love it, hate it, dread it, whatever your feelings are.

The truth is the holiday season is fast approaching.

If you're a baseball fan, well, I'd say we just rounded third base and are on a sprint for home.

Like I said, some of us are thrilled at the idea, others are cringing at the very thought.

So that is why today's episode is here is to help you, the person who is kind of cringing at the idea that OMG, we are in November, Thanksgiving, Christmas, whatever holidays you're celebrating.

It's full of them.

And that brings about a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, a lot of even people who suffer from depression and sadness.

And if that's you, well, today's episode is specifically for you.

Now, before I dive into the meat and potatoes of the episode, I do want to let you know that here on the podcast, I am gearing up for the holiday season by offering a special promo to you, the listeners of this podcast.

When not here in the studio, I work as a life and business coach.

And given the fact of just the world that we live in today, where things are changing faster than we can wrap our heads around, I thought, you know what?

What is one way that I could serve you, the people who support this podcast, more than any other?

And I believe that is through working with me as a coach.

And so for the holiday season, I am offering a special 50% discount on all of my coaching packages.

So that ranges from just my one-time coaching calls, which is my breakthrough clarity call, to my four-week deep dive to my three-month-long signature coaching program that helps you go all the way from where you are today to where you dream of being.

And most of the time, that's turning the messiness of life into something of meaning.

If you are interested in any of these coaching programs, or think to yourself, wow, what an awesome gift this would be, reach out to me.

All you have to do is send me an email to podcast at lowdownmedia.com.

Again, that is podcast at lowdownmedia.

L-O-W-E-D-O-W-N media.com.

Of course, that information will be inside of the episode description.

So scroll down, hit the little button, and you can find that info.

Send me an email, let me know that you're interested, and I can get you more details.

Again, maybe you want it for yourself, or maybe there's somebody in your life who you think, wow, maybe they could benefit from it.

That's what I'm here to offer you.

Again, all of those packages offered at an exclusive 50% discount just because you are a fan of this podcast.

Now, with that said, let's roll into this topic today.

Gearing up for the holiday season, but doing so where we're not gonna let the stress and the overwhelm get to us.

Because I've got five tactics to help you tackle this holiday season.

The first tactic I have for you is well, it's for the person who has a really hard time saying no.

And well, my tactic is to just say no.

It's not just for drugs anymore.

If you find yourself obligating to so many different events, you say yes to everything.

You tell the coworkers, of course I'll be at the holiday party.

But you tell your family, your friends, oh yeah, I'll be at Christmas dinner, I'll be at Thanksgiving dinner.

But it seems like you've said way too many yeses and not enough no's.

Well, this first tip is for you.

It's simple.

It's two letters.

No.

I'm sorry, I can't make it.

Sorry, I don't have time to do that.

Whatever it is, just say no.

What's the worst that's gonna happen?

Somebody's gonna get their little feelings hurt.

Well, I personally believe that your feelings, your life, are a little bit more important.

So again, just say no.

My second tactic.

For those of you who find that the holiday seasons just bring about more negative emotions than they do positive, if you find yourself getting stressed out with all that comes about when we enter the holiday season, well, you need to ditch the Christmas music.

I say ditch the Christmas music, but what I really mean is I want you to focus on finding moments out of the day to escape.

Because even if you enjoy Christmas music, chances are there's somebody in your office, in your family, who loves it just a little bit more.

And so come November 1st, they're already cranking the Christmas tunes.

And by about day three, you are ready to kill somebody or throw that radio out the door.

So what I'm saying is is give yourself a break.

Yeah, you want to get excited about the holidays.

I mean, why not?

But at the same point, if you're stressed out, if you're over it, turn off the Christmas music and give yourself a break.

Number three, well, this one is gonna probably catch you off guard at first, and you're gonna probably reject the very idea of it.

But let me suggest something a little bit crazy.

You know that New Year's resolution.

Well, I'm gonna suggest why not adopting that New Year's resolution early?

Because if eating better, exercising more, or at all are your typical go-tos for your New Year's resolution, well, I'm gonna encourage you to think about going ahead and starting one of those right now.

Because if there is one thing that is for sure, the holiday season is stressful.

It's taxing, it requires a lot out of us.

And well, wouldn't it be a little bit more enjoyable if we were doing so as the best versions of ourselves?

So maybe think about using this opportunity to kickstart that New Year's resolution by waking up earlier, going to bed earlier, going for a morning walk before work, or hitting the gym after work.

Whatever it is, maybe just consider incorporating something into your everyday routine.

And I kind of have a feeling it's gonna make a difference.

My fourth tactic is for you who really don't like the holidays anymore.

And the tactic is to be open and honest with the people around you on how you're feeling.

I talk about stress a lot when we talk about the holidays because I think that's something that most people can relate to.

But there are a lot of people who also suffer from depression or just sadness when the holidays come about.

The holidays so easily bring about memories of people who are no longer with us, or maybe just family members who can't make it home for the family dinner.

Or maybe it's just a period of life that is no more.

As I say, sometimes memories can be a really hard thing to deal with, too, because they can remind us of what is no more.

But what I would encourage you is that if you are feeling like this in any way, please talk to people.

Because you may think that you're doing those around you a favor by not talking about it.

But the truth is they realize something's wrong.

They understand that mom isn't like she normally is, that there's something wrong with dad.

Why is he so grumpy?

Or it's your friends who wonder why aren't you calling?

Why aren't you wanting to hang out?

Like I said, we all think we hide it, but that's really just crazy.

Because the people around us who know us the best, they recognize it.

And they're the people who you need to go to.

A friend can't be a friend unless you open up and tell them how you're feeling right now.

And so that is this tip.

And I feel probably the most important tip that I have to share today is to be honest, to be open, to be real.

And that if you're not happy, that's okay.

But talk to people and gather together with the people who can support you.

My fifth and final tactic to have you conquering this year's holiday season, even with all the overwhelmed stress, anxiety, depression, sadness, craziness of the world, is that maybe this is the year for you to mix things up.

Traditions are great, but so is mixing things up.

If you find yourself already dreading the holidays, maybe it's the stress surrounding all the family gathering together for Thanksgiving.

Maybe it's the stress that finances are tight this year.

So you can't get people the amount of Christmas gifts that you normally do.

If that's you, then let's mix things up a little bit.

Instead of gathering together like normal for Thanksgiving dinner, which if you're somebody who cooks Thanksgiving dinner, you know it's a lot of work.

Try mixing it up.

Maybe instead say, hey, everybody, we're doing pizza night, or we're ordering takeout Chinese food, and we're all just gonna sit around watching movies, pinging out while having fun.

Another idea food costs are expensive.

For the person who's cooking Thanksgiving dinner, it can get really expensive.

And so if that's the case, be honest, be up front.

And maybe instead, whether it's Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, whatever it is, maybe instead say, you know what, we're going out this year.

We're gonna do things different.

And instead, we're gonna go out for a fancy dinner where everybody just pays for their self.

And that is maybe the Christmas gift that we give everybody is that we all just get to have this amazing experience dining at this fancy restaurant.

And wow, talk about a memory that would be made.

I'm sure you would remember that a whole lot more than the present you unwrap.

My last idea for mixing things up is that maybe the best thing for you this holiday season is to get away.

Maybe consider doing something totally different, packing up the car and heading off on a vacation.

Whether that's over Thanksgiving, over Christmas, over New Year's, whatever it is, wouldn't that be cool?

Goodness knows I would love for Santa Claus to give me a week up in a cabin up in the mountains.

Whew, baby.

Santa, if you are listening, please realize that's what Kevin Lowe wants.

And that's my five tactics.

And that's as easy as it gets.

Five simple tactics to help you tackle the stresses of the holiday season.

Of course, just remember, you got this.

Don't let the stress or any of the other negative emotions rob you of the opportunity to enjoy this holiday season.

Just make some adjustments, lean on a friend, and for goodness sakes, do us all a favor and lay off the Christmas music.

I think we could all have a much better holiday season if we didn't have to listen to Christmas music for two months in a row.

Until next time, this is Kevin Lowe with Dritt Grace and Inspiration.

I hope you have enjoyed today's episode.

And, well, I'll see you again next week.

Hey, real quick before you go, I have one last thought to leave you with.

I of course hope that you've enjoyed today's episode, but more importantly, I want to remind you that I never want you to listen to an episode of this podcast to hear something that I have to say or that my guest has to share and think, wow, I wish I could be like them.

I wish I could overcome my own challenges and do the great things that they are doing, but I just can't.

Well, friend, that's where you're wrong.

unknown: You're wrong.

SPEAKER_00: You are capable.

You are able.

And you darn sure are deserving of having all that you can imagine in this life.

There's nothing special about me or any guests I have on this podcast.

We are all just normal people trying to make it in this life.

And so I encourage you to take a look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself that you know what?

I can do it too.

Now, of course, if you would like help along that way, reach out to me.

Whether that's as a listener of this podcast, a friend, or if you'd like to work with me as a coach.

My contact information is inside of every episode's show notes, just like this one.

So go down, check out my contact information, and reach out to me today.

With that said, I encourage you to take on the day every day with great, grace, and inspiration.