Ten Things you can do to avoid a Stressful Holidays this Year

The season that we read about the birth of Christ in Luke 2: 13 and 14- And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

A season of peace and a wonderful time of the year can often become chaotic and filled with chaos and confusion that can become very mentally stressful, exhausting and, in some cases, despondent during this time of the year.

The American Psychological Association’s revealed that nearly 40 % of people report significant levels of being despondent during the holidays more than at any other time of the year.

One source of despondence is memories of people that are not in life for various reasons. Another reason is comparing expectations that collide with reality and that cause confusion between Thanksgiving and New Years. But the question for us, does the holidays have to be fill chaos?

  

Discover Your Peace within Your Quiet Strength

\We all have an enter strength that Isaiah referred to as Quiet, Confident, Strength; or what I call our quiet strength in Isaiah 30:15 In quietness and confidence is your strength.

A major part of that quiet strength is organization and prioritizing your thoughts. Yet in the middle of this whirlwind, many people can discover their peace of mind with simple methods that don’t cost anything to deal with the emotion of chaos from the holidays with something as simple as developing our quiet strength.

Our quiet strength consists of developing our appreciation for process, our faith, patience, meditation, starting a hobby, watching your diet, and following a fitness routine during the holidays instead of starting after the New Years with Resolutions.

Small incremental achievements are significant for strengthening our quiet strength that can provide confidence and a source of accomplishment.

In regard to hobbies, a few of my hobbies are photography, sports journalism, welding, and what I call my BAJA Health and Fitness workout Club. But find something that interests you and develop those skills in that area.

The Quiet Strength from Henry David Thoreau

I am a big fan of Henry David Thoreau, as was President John F. Kennedy. Thoreau wrote books like- Walden, Maine Woods, Nature and Walking, and Faith in a Seed, just to name a few of Thoreau’s books. My senior high school English Teacher, Ms. Ryan, was a devoted follower of Henry David Thoreau and assigned us these books above to read and prepare a report.

Henry David Thoreau went to the woods because he “wished to live deliberately. Thoreau’s message at Walden Pond was not escapism but radical simplicity or what we refer to today as KISS– Keep Things Simple and Straight. In reference to the term straight, I am referring to processes.

Keeping Things Simple is an essential component of life, reduces external noise, and allows our mind and soul the ability to have peace of mind.

Dealing with Holidays Expectations  

Without knowing it, Ms. Ryan had a huge impact on my life just by applying Henry David Thoreau’s philosophy to my own life, keeping things simple. One way to keep things simple is trying to appreciate small things in your life. I Start with appreciating the abilities to carry out various duties of each day in my welding shop and on my farm.

If I listed everything that I was grateful for, I would have a novel. But to give you an example of simple things that I appreciate like hot showers, thank God for a hot water tank. For someone that works on my farm and welding shop, I appreciate a hot shower.

    

Holidays, with great expectations, can press into our lives and obscure these simple things in our lives. The simpler our appreciation is, the more content we will have. When we choose and prioritize simple things instead of complex schedules, we become organized and allow us to enjoy the simple things in our life like nature and our work.

Various Forms of Meditation that are Available

Making it a priority to get out into nature that will change your life. After my normal workouts, I then take a mountain bike ride on a trail for eight to ten miles. I also enjoy riding my INDIAN Scout Bobber 60 that I enjoy riding on early Sunday mornings.

A great form of meditation is what I call active meditation; one form of active meditation is my fitness routine that I do a minimum of four times a week. The reason our fitness and exercises routine is that exercising releases endorphins. Physical exercise triggers the brain to release endorphins—natural “feel-good” chemicals that act as painkillers and mood elevators.

These powerful neurotransmitters reduce stress, ease anxiety, and spark euphoria, often called a “runner’s high,” leaving you happier, calmer, and more energized. Fitness routine lifts your spirit that is useful around the holidays!

After I work out on my boxing bag and strength train, I feel relaxed and decompressed, energized, and I am also encouraged by myself to maintain a healthy waistline during the holidays. Even taking a walk in nature has huge mental and physical benefits during the holidays. This is the first step in organizing your day to develop your quiet strength.

Practice Patience

Patience is perhaps the most overlooked, most quiet strength we have. Patience is not aimless and passive waiting; it is time we can use to prepare like a sports team during the off season. Patience is like training and exercising where we might not see the immediate results of our workouts and training until we start competing.

Patience teaches the nervous system that not every stimulus requires an immediate reaction or attention. The Bible is full of examples of those that didn’t practice patience. Neuroscientists have observed people that are patient where they are able to control their anxiety with conscious breathing. These people can lower cortisol and activate the parasympathetic “rest-read-and-digest” response. In plain language: patience calms the body before the mind even catches up.

The Apostle Paul wrote in both Romans and Colossians the importance of our patience-

Romans 15:5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,

Perseverance

Perseverance of what others call faith is fused with patience creates our quiet strength based on a true and tested process. The sports team that trains and condition trusts in a well-developed process. Through perseverance faced with difficult conditioning and training they develop confidence in their abilities.

The biggest reward for our persistence is to develop our confidence. Nothing replaces confidence in life on the field or court. Confidence is the antidote to being despondent or hopeless.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:28- And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

   

Developing a Hobby

Developing a hobby is where you lose all perspective of time and have internal enjoyment and contentment. Being content is a huge component of quiet strength. The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:11 wrote- Not that I was ever been in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.

 

A hobby allows you to be creative and to be free to think that links in with your subconscious mind where a lot of our unaddressed issues pile up like debris that enters our life. Hobbies allow us to unconsciously unpack our debris and get rid of it and organize our thoughts. Welding allows me to create a design, specified material to order and assemble a finished product.

Welding started out to be just a hobby that is now my second career after I retired after 35- years of being a grid engineer.

My best advice that I can give to any high school student is before you set your sights on going to college first consider trade college to pick up a profession that you can earn income to pay for college if you decide to continue your education. In 18- months, you can start earning income and have a second career after you retire as I did.

Develop a Habit of Reading and Writing

Anyone is just starting out reading and studying the Word of God. I would point them to Psalms and Romans. Below are just two references in Psalms and John.

The Son of Korah wrote in Psalms 46:10- He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; … In the book of John, the Apostle John recorded a statement by Jesus Christ for those dealing with hopelessness in in their lives in John 10:10- The thief (hopelessness, despondent) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.

 

Developing your Quiet Strength

Leading up to Hanukkah, also known as the “Festival of Lights”, Christmas, and New Years- take the time to develop your quiet strength that consists of:

1.        Strengthening your patience with perseverance.

2.        Maintaining an exercise routine that includes cardio, aerobics and especially strength training.

3.        Developing a habit of reading, writing, meditating, and volunteering.

4.        Strengthening your beliefs.

5.        Develop a hobby. A hobby is a great way to develop a second career later.

6.        Getting out into nature every day and taking a walk, jog, or riding a bike.

7.        Having an attitude of gratefulness for what you have and don’t have.

8.        Following a process and preparing for every day to reduce stress levels.

9.        Developing a relationship with others to develop your skills to help others.

10.  Develop your skills to listen to others and ask questions. We can learn a lot just by asking questions.

When we choose the quiet strength of faith, patience, prayerful meditation, and hobbies we are not withdrawing from Christmas; we are finally entering the essence of Christmas of peace on earth and good will toward men.

This year, give yourself the greatest gift ever- Strengthen your quiet strength of confidence and perseverance that Isaiah wrote about in two of his verses-

Isaiah 30:15 In quietness and confidence is your strength.

Isaiah 32:17 And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.   

I personally regard Isaiah as the William Shakespeare of the Bible; so much, that George Frideric Handel composed Handel’s Messiah based on Isaiah chapters 9, 40, and 53. You can’t achieve much success than having classic compositions based on your writings.