ADVENT CALENDAR: Day 24 / Merry Christmas

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It’s Christmas Eve today.

*feel the monumental shift in this day*

The peace.
The quiet.
The calm.

You don’t need to do anything today.

You can stop with the “I should’s” and the “I need to’s” and just

STOP.

You can breathe. You can relax. You can just be and enjoy.

No matter what the external circumstances are, you can make this day the best it can be by letting go of control. Things will unfold beautifully when you listen in on what you and your loved ones need today – on an emotional level.

Remember your safe word?
Use it.

Today is about love.
Today is about forgiveness.
Today is about joy.
Today is about care.
Today is about blessings.
Today is about peace.
Today is about presence.

You’ve already done everything.
Let yourself relax now.
Breathe.
Relax.
Enjoy.

Merry Christmas, you beautiful soul.

You’re on this Earth for a reason. Give yourself some love and care today. Then shower everyone else with it too.

Happy Holidays!

With love,
Erika

ADVENT CALENDAR: Day 23 / Seven Best Quotes

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Here are seven quotes that I love. I hope they, if nothing else, serve as a powerful reminder.

Because, what you feed your mind matters.

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“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.” – Jim Rohn

“It’s your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you but no one can walk it for you.” – Rumi

“Feel the fear and do it anyway.” – Susan Jeffers

“Would you rather be deeply adored or generally liked?” – Danielle LaPorte

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.” – Henry Ford

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

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Happy December 23rd!

With love,
Erika

ADVENT CALENDAR: Day 22 / Top 5 Tips for Relaxed Holidays

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ADVENT CALENDAR: Day 22 / Five Tips for Relaxed Holidays
  1. If at any point you find your mind wandering to work or anything stressful, give yourself “a safe word” and use it immediately. Your safe word could be “pumpkin pie” or “rock, paper, scissors” or perhaps something a tad simpler like “CHRISTMAS!”. Whatever works for you, choose it, use it and allow yourself to return to the current moment, the people you have around you and the special time you’re sharing with them.
  2. Christmas, nor life, is about perfection. Maybe this year you don’t drive yourself crazy with the cleaning, the cooking, the shopping, the prepping, the decorating, the gift giving, the card writing. Maybe this year you let yourself give you and everyone around you the best gift of all: your time.
  3. Engage in some of the favorite activities your friends and family enjoy. Activities are great because they force us to stay in the moment. The more active the activity, the better because it gives little to no room for your brain to go on overdrive. It’s all about distraction for your mind, especially if you’re Type A!
  4. Spend some time reflecting. Look back at your year and everything you’ve accomplished, experienced and gone through. Write down three things that you’re grateful that happened to you this year. What you pay attention to is what’s amplified in your life. For instance, let’s say you’ve just discovered a new and amazing holiday location, are totally in love with it and suddenly start seeing it everywhere? Or maybe you bought a new car and now everyone seems to be driving it? That’s what happens to our minds when we focus on something: we see it everywhere. So focus on the positive and everything you’re grateful for and you’ll soon notice many more reasons for it.
  5. And last but definitely not least, BREATHE. That’s right, breathe. When you stress out, your body starts to reflect that and it goes on fight or flight mode. When you stop to take a moment to breathe, your body starts to relax and let go of the stress. It starts to understand that hey you’re not under attack, so it can lower its guard. While we all know how to breathe, most of us have never stopped to fully pay attention to it. So try it with me right now: close your eyes, take a deep breath in through the nose (take as much air in as you possibly can), hold for a count of two and then blow out all the air through the mouth. Repeat this process as many times as necessary. Your body will thank you and later so will you ;)

Happy December 22nd!

With love,
Erika