A Bit of Calm for the Holiday Storm...

Is your inbox as full as mine? Black Friday! Cyber Monday! Giving Tuesday!

And so here we are... fully immersed in the holiday season before we have even turned the calendar to December.

I won't lie. It all makes me tired. It is a quick pull away from this moment - a grounded sense of enough. Of plenty. It reminds me just how quickly we can get pulled off center.

It isn't necessarily negative - so much that is being offered is lovely, worthy, helpful, and fun! It is just that there is an incessant pace to all of it at this time of year. This is the first ingredient of the storm.

It is the season of over-spending, over-eating, over-drinking, over-committing, general over-indulging. Each one of these has an effect on your financial wellbeing. Combined, it creates a bit of internal chaos.

This time of year also holds emotional highs and lows - for many of us this time is laced with sorrow or nostalgia for what was, or isn't. This is another layer of the storm - and can increase its intensity.

So - what to do? I wanted to share some thoughts, and some resources to provide an anchor in the coming weeks. ​

Holding steady emotionally becomes your most trusted anchor. This is what prevents debt, over-spending, or other financial hangovers come January.

Checking in with ourselves regularly becomes the practice that helps us stay true to ourselves... and our commitment to our financial health.

A Quick Assessment - to do throughout the holiday season… ​

• ​What is the feeling I am feeling? Simply name it. Acknowledge the feeling. Be with it for one breath (happy, sad, angry, anxious, overwhelmed...)

• What do I need right now? Water? (maybe pack a bottle of water to bring with you each day) Deep breaths? (1 deep breath does wonders…) A snack? (maybe keep some good protein in your bag…nuts and dried fruit are my favorite) A few moments alone in your car between ALL.THE.THINGS? (it is perhaps the best gift you can give everyone around you... a calm and centered you) A quick call to your best friend to cry or laugh with? (you know, that friend who grounds you…)

• Meet that need! ​​Drink the water. Eat the snack. Take that long deep breath - or 5. Or do all of the above! (and if I sound like a mother, it is because I am a mother - and a human who knows how easy it is to forget these things)

• Then ask, Do I feel grounded? Feeling grounded allows clear thinking, making decisions from an un-rushed, un-reactive state. If the answer is no, consider repeating 1-4... and know it is all about PRACTICE... not about being perfect!

I would recommend doing this quick assessment before you make any purchasing decisions... online or ​in actual stores. 

[And TEA… always take time out to pause for tea - or your beverage of choice. If you know me, you know how much I love to have tea in my cold hands.]

Being a mindful spender is all about practice... a practice in learning how we respond and react. A practice in being more conscious and intentional about the choices we make - about our money, our time, and our energy. Each of which is a resource to be tended with care.

I hope you stay grounded during this season - coming through the other side feeling as though every dollar was money well spent.

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