Anxiety can take over in the holidays: so much to do, so little time to do it, and so many new and different tasks added onto everything else that regularly has to get done.
The good news: anxiety is actually a friendly emotion… when you befriend it.
Kick up your happiness level by mastering anxiety.
Try some simple physical moves to harness your anxiety:
o Fake a startled jump
o Pout and slouch pessimistically (pull out your lower lip if you have to)
o Make strong kung fu arm motions through the air: you got the power!
o What do I want to do first? Do it ASAP. Next? Jump on it. Keep going
o What do I partly want to do, but partly resist?
What issue(s) are holding me back? Jump on the interference
o How pleased am I with getting each step done? Congratulate yourself, or at least allow yourself and a deep breath and smile.
Every day brings new anxieties because every day bring new opportunities, and new angles on old opportunities.
Let each success—however large or small—make you happy.
Happy Holidays!
PS: If you remain uncomfortable with anxiety, think how “anxious” or “anxiety” really mean “eager, yet reluctant to get going”. Think about how you are ready, set, to go, yet also realistic about limitations. Give yourself the time to work through your anxieties, and your limitations.
You can also try working the simple physical moves of anxiety in more depth.
- Wag your tailbone (think dog wagging tail) feeling excited to get going…on whatever. (That’s the excitement in anxiety)
- When faking that startled jump, also make a silly grin, as if you’ve just been pleasantly goosed, and tell yourself that you’re in for good surprises.
- When you pout and slouch pessimistically, think about how when you were a kid… wherever you were anxious to get to… it felt like you were NEVER going to get there.
- When you make those strong kung fu arm motions through the air, be aware that you are harnessing the simpler moves of impatience (batting stuff out of your way) and aggressiveness (pushing ahead)…and that’s OK. A good thing. Getting obstacles out of the way, moving ahead with what needs to be done.