holiday angst

Focus on the wins!  Everybody is not on board with the joys and positivity of the holidays.  Autosuggestion is an effective tool toward getting control of your emotions.  In summary it's acknowledging a sore spot, or core wound, and taking actions to refute it.  

For example, I was a struggling single parent/ full time working and full time college student with both children born in DECEMBER!  I hated seeing the holidays coming.  Like in the image, there were far too many losses: limited funds, amped stress from family, school, work expectations, etc. 

I learned over the years and in training/education/experience to reprogram my thoughts, beliefs, and take action to focus on the wins.  

A sore spot back then was that I was not going to satisfy everybody's needs for what was expected, I was not good enough was a sore, subconscious belief, rooted from early in my childhood.  

Autosuggestion is finding evidence that says otherwise. Fact was I was getting a whole lot of the priorities done: providing for our future with the schoolin, the children were clothed/sheltered/fed, I had steady income, I was reasonably healthy, I had support of my family, etc. There were lots of other reasons that refuted not being good enough. I learned to exercise the win muscles: I didn't have to do everything expected, I would still be Mom even if the only Christmas tree was the pine car freshener taped up on the wall, (my sons didn't think that was funny), I could be present and enjoy singing a solo during meaningful community services.  Autosuggestion asks "What's going right?"  What are your answers?  They have to be intentional to consider, bring, highlight, and keep the list of 10-15 facts, opposite of the negative at the forefront of your mind. 

Then at the beginning of the day make it a part of the routine to focus on the list.  At the end of the day review it.  This is better than positive thinking or looking in a mirror and reciting to yourself,  "I am enough/loved/heard/fill in your blank."  Autosuggestion proves how the opposite is true!  Work on your list!