At times the Holiday time period can be fun-filled with parties, parades, family traditions and craft fairs. Other times, it can get quite stressful with buying gifts, getting places on time with mega traffic and unpleasant thoughts of past Holiday seasons.
When things get crazed for me, I do these 4 things that bring myself back into position to be better prepared, poised and peaceful. To continue on with the Holiday Season. If you are having stress, give one or all a try and let me know how it goes in the comment section.
Four Ways to Cope Ahead for Peace during the Holiday Season
Stop binging on TV shows and movies & Turn on Church Sermons to get calm
Personally, I’ve gone to Unity Churches in Chicago, New York and Hawaii. But, I do go to the church for different reasons and lately I’ve been going to St. Clements because I like the Minister and the social events they do.
When it comes to the Holidays, Unity churches know where it’s at to provide you with a Peaceful Holiday Season. My all time favorite video is below. The message is simple yet so hard to remember during the hectic Holiday Season. I listen to this almost daily during December and sometimes around Thanksgiving and also Easter.
It shows you how you can be peaceful in ANY situation. Remember, from past posts: People, Places & Things Can NOT affect your Good Mood. You can ONLY control your OWN Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviors.
Here is Unity minister Justin Epstein Choosing Peace & Joy This Holiday Season…. to elaborate on this theme. In my opinion, no matter what way you reach God, it is worth watching during the Holiday Season.
Nothing is Good or Bad, Only Thinking Makes It So. William Shakespeare
And here is one of my favorite Ministers at the moment from CUT in Chicago. If music and the word help you, this is a great one to check out. Or look for more videos from them on YouTube or Facebook. They work hard preparing & pack a lot of content into one Sunday service. Reverends: McDowell, Wells, Jackie and McGee put an abundance of prep work into their Sunday sermons.
And here is one of their newest videos from December 2024:
Turn off the Outside World and CHANT
If you can, go to a live chanting session. On Ohau, we meet every Tuesday at Church of the Crossroads, if you are ever in town, stop by Tuesdays between 7p-830p. We are a small yet effective group of chanters and I ALWAYS leave more peaceful than prior to arriving. I’ve also been to many interesting and different chanting/Kirtan events in NYC. Just Google Kirtan in your town to see whats happening.
Or if you can’t, find a live Kirtan, turn on Spotify, get a CD or check YouTube for Krishna Das Kirtans and do it with the TV or your blue tooth sound system. I listen to a lot of extra spiritual music and chanting during the holidays as I drive around town. It keeps any possible road rage from attempting to invade my space.
Below is KD’s OM NAMA SHIVAYA, recorded on Maui in 2024. This one song, can elevate your mood and bring peace very quickly to your world. Many of the great sages have said, that Chanting is the Quickest way to reach GOD. And it’s quite easy to do. Give it a try if you can. I can vouch that it works every time I do it.
As you can see, It is my YouTube Channel. My good Friend Peter K recorded it for me as I stayed locked into Chanting. I do not use my phone during a Kirtan/Concert. And by showing you this is my channel, you can see that I DO Practice what I Preach. Or CHANT as I recommend you do too!
Or if you prefer the entire Kirtan/Concert, check out this Video of KD live in NYC 2023.
Exercise to Feel Good this Holiday Season
This should probably be the number one thing you can do for any Holiday Season. Run, Walk, Play Basketball, Swim, Surf, Ski, Do Yoga, Pilates, Ride a Bike, Do whatever you can to get some exercise. The immediate endorphins will INSTANTLY make you feel better and later on you’ll sleep better too. Both of which are great during the year and especially during the Holidays.
Not only will you feel better, but you’ll burn calories. And with all the extra eating one does at parties, while shopping or just nibbling on sugar cookies, your body will thank you for the exercise.
Here is what I do: When I wake up in the morning I don’t even put on shoes, I just start walking from the Window to the Wall. Back and forth for 1 hour. This way, I’m sure to get my exercise in for the day and any extra I do later on is just bonus for my body. This is what works for me. Hopefully, you can do something too. Make sure it’s fun to do too. When I walk I listen to upbeat tunes on Spotify like Bob Sinclar, Madonna or Audio Bullys. This helps the walk go by easier and many times quicker, which is great for my Heart.
Breathe Work/Meditation for Peace
The word Meditation sounds daunting to some, thus the added Breathe work in the Heading. The reason I put this in is because just 2 Minutes of breathing will calm you. Here is the simplest and a very effective thing to do: Set your clock for two minutes, close your eyes and deeply breath in ONE, let out ONE. Then breath in TWO and let out TWO slowly. Do this from ONE to TEN. If you still have time, start another round. Guaranteed, you will feel better, calmer and more peaceful from this simple technique. And it only takes 2 minutes. It’s a mindfulness technique I learned at DBT class in 2024.
I also recommend Box/Square Breathing. Picture a box in your brain, breath in for 4 seconds, going up the square. Hold for 4 seconds going across the box, then close the box with a giant 8 second out breath, going down and back to where you started. It’s upon the out breath that the relaxation happens, thus make sure your out breath is longer than your in breath. Feel free tweak this technique up or down in seconds depending on your fitness level.
And third, turn on a guided meditation on YouTube. There are so many to choose from. Do 5-10 minutes to start and build up to 20-30 minutes. All three of these techniques are 100% guaranteed to bring you Peace. If it doesn’t work on your first try, do it again and maybe again, until you feel calm.
Huna Das 