Staying Centered, Protected, and Relaxed During the Holiday Season

20 Dez Staying Centered, Protected, and Relaxed During the Holiday Season

Hello my Loves.

As the holiday season is coming closer and closer, I want to share some words of love and care with you. Contrast cannot be more obvious than in this special time of the year.
When feelings of joy, unity, connection and celebration meet feelings of overwhelm, triggers and a heightened sense of emotional sensitivity – especially in family dynamics and relationships.
It is a season of contradictions: abundance mingles with nostalgia, love interweaves with stress and connection coexists with the resurfacing of old wounds. And besides that, Tim his moving fast, invitation follows invitation and tables after tables are hopefully abundantly filled with delicious foos, that afterwards might add on to an overall feeling of heaviness, fullness and overload.
It is days that call for reflection and introspection as the yeas is coming to an end and cycles are wrapping up and it is days that call for togetherness or distance. Some of us are celebrating close to their loves ones, some are at a distance being reminded of what might be missing or experiencing conflict and others are fake-smiling around their relatives that feel like foreigner, asking themselves how they came to be part in a family, that is so different to themselves. There is literally so much going on within a couple of days – we can easily loose our center or drain our energy, if we don’t have self care tools available. But I am here to change that – to share guidance, understanding and wisdom with you.

Over the years of supporting others, I’ve seen how the holidays can magnify both the beauty and the challenges of life. I wanna share with you some of my techniques and reflections as well as practical strategies to help you stay centered, protected and emotionally balanced through the season.

I sense how many of us are feeling this past year and its challenges and ups and downs, which hopefully already alchemized in beautiful gifts and blessings for you. There is just a few more days to go until a brand new chapter opens up for all of us, filled with infinite possibilities to grasp.

Choosing to prioritize self care, acceptance and self love will benefit you in so many ways and of course all the techniques can be used  whenever you join family gatherings, birthday celebrations or any other event or gathering.

And remember: Every experience holds the potential to learn to take better care of yourself and to fall in love with yourself a little bit deeper and to see and understand yourself little bit more.

Why do the Holidays hold so much potential to trigger us?

The holidays have a way of stirring up suppressed emotions and past triggers, particularly in family settings. Let me show you why:

1. Family Dynamics: Spending, or not spending time with our family can bring old wounds, patterns and unresolved dynamics to the surface. We might be confronted with childhood memories or compare our stories to others. We might remember childhood days filled with love and togetherness or a stressful time and a heightened potential for arguments. We might miss those not joining or we might feel forced to share our presence with people who hurt us and we have not yet found forgiveness.
2. Cultural Expectations: The pressure to create the „perfect holiday“ can make us hyper- aware of where we feel lacking. How this time is represented in movies, books and social media might trigger us again and makes us easily compare our stories with others.
3. Sensory Overload: The holidays are filled with stimulation – light, music, food, and social gatherings – all of which can overwhelm the nervous system. Especially when we have not yet learned to regulate our nervous system.
4. Reflection and Nostalgia: The year’s end naturally prompts introspection and the contrast between where we are and where we hoped to be can evoke complex feelings.

But here is beautiful news: Understanding these triggers can empower you to navigate them with grace and mindfulness. If triggers come up they never come to harm us and there is techniques you can learn to stay balanced and transmute the energy. You are not the victim of your life, you are the main character and everything ins a question of perspective. Yet a good preparation and after care are keys for self-empowerment and fulfillment.

So here we go…

Pre-Holiday Preparation: Set Yourself Up for Centeredness

1. Create an Energetic Shield
Before heading into a holiday gathering, take a moment to center yourself. Close your eyes and visualize a protective bubble of light surrounding you—golden, white, blue or any color that feels good in that moment, trust your intuition. This light serves as a shield, allowing love and connection in while repelling negativity or emotional overwhelm. Remember how powerful your thoughts and words are and use them for you to not allow any low vibrations to penetrate you. Refresh your bubble in-between whenever you feel to and use your breath to fast and easy anchor you and bring you back into your center.

2. Ground Yourself
Spend a few moments grounding your energy. Usually I would recommend you to do the next simple technique barefoot, but as it is winter skip that part and stay cozy and warm: Imagine roots growing from your feet deep into the earth. This connection to the ground stabilizes your energy and helps you remain centered no matter what unfolds. Visualize these roots growing down, deep  down into the earth and until you reach her core and imagine how you wrap your roots into the center of the earth, a vibrant ruby red crystal –  now start inhaling particles of ruby red light into your own root chakra. Feel the connection, take some breaths here. Stay as long as you want and feel her safety, her stability and her calmness.

3. Set Intentions
Take time to clarify your intentions for the gathering. Whether it’s to connect with love, practice patience, or simply remain calm, having a clear intention acts as your emotional anchor. In times when we feel we are loosing ourselves, this is your way to come back into your heart. Remember who you are and what intention you choose to vibrate from.

4. Plan Your Boundaries
Know your limits ahead of time. Whether it’s the length of your stay or the topics you’re willing to discuss, setting clear internal boundaries can help you avoid overwhelm. Practice saying phrases like, “Let’s choose another topic,” or “I need a moment to myself,” to prepare for potentially challenging conversations. Remember knowing your boundaries is key here. If you experience that you yourself overstep your boundaries or don’t yet  know them – here is a tip: Your body is very intelligent and is giving you signals. Learning your bodies language helps a lot in these situations. Ask yourself does that conversation or person feel good within me? If the sensations are giving you tension, a feeling of stepping back or uncomfortableness  it is usually your body signaling you that the energy is off.

During the Gathering: Staying Heart-Centered

1. Breathe with Awareness
Whenever you feel tension rising, pause and take three deep breaths. Inhale deeply, exhale slowly, and let your body soften. This simple practice keeps your nervous system regulated. And brings you back to yourself – means shifting the awareness inwards instead of outwards on what is going on around you.

2. Stay Present in Your Heart
Bring your focus to your heart center throughout the day. You can place your hand over your heart to remind yourself of your inner warmheartedness and connection to love. This helps you respond rather than react to triggers. The better you know your own triggers and insecurities the easier this will become.

3. Listen to Your Body
Pay attention to your body’s signals. If you feel overstimulated, excuse yourself for a short walk, spend a few moments in the restroom, or step outside for fresh air. Drink water regularly and eat mindfully, savoring each bite to stay connected to your body and listen when it is enough to digest – both in food and stimulation.

4. Engage with Rituals of Presence
Anchor yourself in little rituals, like pausing before eating to express gratitude, lighting a candle to center the energy of the room, or silently repeating affirmations like, “I am calm, I am loved, I am safe.” Affirmations usually work, when you already believe them. Anything before that I would see as training until you believe them 🙂

5. Limit Overindulgence
Holiday indulgences are part of the fun, but tune into your body’s needs. Stop eating when you feel full, and avoid overcommitting to every activity. This preserves your energy and prevents burnout. You are allowed to not please everyone and you are free to choose when it is enough. Give your full presence and choose moments to rest and step back and let others do the task or lead the conversation.

Post-Holiday Care: Rebalancing and Restoring

1. Energetic Cleansing
After returning home, cleanse your energy. Take a salt bath or salt scrub in the shower, burn sage or any cleansing incense or essential oils like lavender, or use sound healing tools like a singing bowl to clear any lingering emotional heaviness. Visualize releasing anything you absorbed that isn’t yours.Again use your words or thoughts and set the intention of cleaning your bodies.

2. Reflect and Journal
I love Journaling – it is one of the most powerful tools for introspection and understanding. Spend time reflecting on the day. Write down what went well, what triggered you, and what you’re grateful for. Journaling allows you to process emotions and recognize patterns that might need healing.Ask questions and allow yourself to aim to understand the roots of your triggers. This does not need to happen immediately, this is a process but believe me next year’s season you will definitely leap the rewards and even sooner. Introspection and understanding yourself on a deep level Is a game changer in keeping the balance and be less triggered. You will see, no matter where you start, you will always finish of in a higher vibration with feelings of understanding,  compassion, acceptance and or gratitude even if it is just for the simplicity of seeing yourself and growing self compassion or accepting something for what it is, acknowledging your own emotions and holding space for them.

3. Practice Gratitude
Even if the day was challenging, try to end it with gratitude. Gratitude shifts your perspective and brings you back to the heart space. Don’t force or pressure yourself – gratitude is a feeling and you can literally visualize or do anything that brings you into this vibration. Practice being humble, the simplicity of you being alive is a miracle and precious and living on such an abundant planet gives me  pure gratitude. The beauty of nature, the ability to sense with our senses all the sweet inscences and taste all the delicious fruits and experiencing hugs from loved ones. The richness of nature, the joy of living with our pets etc. The possibilities are infinite and it is your only choice to find something!

4. Slow Down
The holidays often push us into overdrive. Give yourself permission to slow down, rest, and recharge. Whether it’s through yoga, meditation, or simply sitting in silence, create space for your body and mind to recalibrate. If you are not yet familiar to relax during a Yin Yoga Meditation or a moment of silence, create slowness where possible. Change the music style in your car  or head phones to something relaxing and calm. Enjoy your morning cup of tea in presence, sip by sip. Put away your phone for a while and just be as much as you can. Listen within, what it is that you need and what your body needs. Allow yourself to take the nap and leave the duties for later – some things can wait.

5. Reconnect with Nature
If possible, spend time outdoors the next day. Nature has a grounding and healing effect, helping you return to balance after sensory overload. We so often hear this tip, but it really does make such a huge difference for our whole system and it is such a simple way to take care of us in so many ways. It is scientifically proven that trees, water and other elements of nature have a regulating effect on our system. Trees emit phytoncides, natural oils that boost our immune system and lower stress hormones like cortisol when we breathe them in. The negative ions present near water sources like rivers, waterfalls, and oceans help neutralize free radicals in our bodies, creating calmness. Studies show that simply looking at trees, greenery or water from a window can lower blood pressure and heart rate whilst leading to relaxation. Immersing oneself in nature increases the production of serotonin, the brain chemical linked to happiness and emotional stability.Or create a nature sound bath at home if you want to stay cozy and warm. Did you know that even the rhythmic sound of flowing water, like streams or waves, mimics our heartbeat and helps synchronize our nervous system, inducing a meditative state. Similar with birds sounds or other sounds of nature. Even as little time as spending just 20 minutes in nature has been shown to significantly reduce levels of cortisol, and therefore helping to regulate our body’s stress response. And last but not least: The natural environment stimulates our parasympathetic nervous system, the „rest-and-digest“ mode, helping us feel safe, grounded, and deeply connected to the present moment. Ok this part turned out to be a little love letter to some data on why we love spending time in nature and we love a regulated nervous system <3

Let me summarize…

Maintaining Balance Throughout the Season is you golden Key to keep your Cup filled

1. Honor Your Boundaries
Your time and energy are precious. Don’t resist to say “no” to events or requests that don’t align with you. . Protecting your peace is an act of self-love and self-empowerment.

2. Cultivate Awareness
Stay mindful of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Awareness is the key to staying centered in the midst of holiday chaos.

3. Celebrate Your Loving Rituals
Create personal traditions that bring you joy and meaning. Whether it’s lighting a candle each evening, meditating with music, dancing with music or taking a gratitude walk, these rituals bring a sense of sacredness to the season. What is a gratitude walk? When I intentionally do a gratitude walk. I take my walk, telling every tree, stone, flower,  rock etc „You are my favorite“ from all of my heart – spreading love and appreciation without judgment. I say it to each one of them – try it! It feels amazing.

4. Prioritize Self-Care
Above all, make self-care non-negotiable. Regular practices like journaling, mindfulness, and body movement will keep you grounded and nourished. No guilt here! Worthiness is your birthright and you deserve to betaken care of and treated the most precious way.

The holidays, with all their complexity, are an opportunity for growth, connection, and healing. By staying present, listening to your body, and honoring your needs, you can navigate the season with grace and emerge feeling centered, empowered, and deeply aligned. It is a time to wrap up this year, to come into gratitude for it’s teachings to give thanks to our relationships for being our mirrors and to celebrate the light we hold within ourselves.

Remember: you are the creator of your reality, the writer of your script and your peace is your greatest gift—not just to yourself, but to everyone around you.

I wanna share two sacred and simple practices with you that you can use whenever you feel called to with closed or even open eyes, gazing in front of you – creating a moment of connection with yourself and others:

1. I am the Magnet
   Focus on your breath for a moment to come back into presence. Imagine yourself as a magnet, centered and strong, deeply rooted into the earth. And now imagine activating your power – from all over the room that you are at, you call your energy back to yourself. Imagine all the people inside that room and that, like a magnet, you are drawing your energy back to yourself. You will feel the effect immediately. Your spine will strengthen, your facial muscles relax, your breath might change. When you feel complete, reverse that exercise. Imagine everyone else in the room now as the magnets and now they are drawing their energy, that got stuck on you, back to themselves. Again you will feel the difference immediately. Practice this exercise as often as you want.
2. Sending Pure Love
   This exercise is a little bit more advances. It is simple, yet delicate. Practice looking each person that crosses your path in the yes and sending an „ I love you“ in thoughts to them – they don’t even need to look back. This as about you and sharing your love with them. You will receive so much out of that already. The easier it gets saying „I love you to yourself in the mirror“ the easier this will get. I love doing this practice. It always brings me back into my heart and reminds me of who I am.

My loves I feel like this is a beautiful ending of this blog post. Isn’t it in the end all about that? Reminding us of who we are – guiding each other home. Home into our bodies and home into our hearts. In the end we all seek connection, we all seek love and being loved. And it is our families and chosen ones that we come together with in these days.

I wish all of you that you come into your hearts as often as you can in this time, to feel deeply nourished, seen and cared for.

The time in this life you get to spend with yourself is precious – Enjoy yourself & love yourself!

All my love

Sheila