Journal Prompts To Reduce Holiday & Celebration Stress with PSTPRTM

Journal Prompts To Reduce Holiday & Celebration Stress with PSTPRTM

Holidays and celebrations can be the peak experiences that we look forward to all year (or let’s be honest—dread). When you add children to the mix, it can create a crushing amount of pressure to make things absolutely perfect. We might do things that stress us out, don’t like, or even loathe just to keep up with traditions or expectations. 

What if we sat back and contemplated what really matters to us? How do we want to feel on those special days and more importantly, how we want to feel after? What if you factored this into the planning phase (or last-minute scramble) so you’re not exhausted, depleted, or resentful? 

These questions below are meant to spark ideas to find happiness, rest, and ease amid celebrations. You may find that you keep all your traditions. You may also find yourself wanting to change how you show up for yourself or your family. More importantly, you get to define what that looks like for you! These prompts were originally published on PSTPRTM

If this resonates, let’s continue the conversation on Instagram @chefcarlacontreras

Eat Well,

xo Chef Carla

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Pre-Celebration Questions:

Get out a journal and write for five minutes or sit and think about your answers. You can do this right now or bookmark a time in your calendar. Note: These answers can (and often do) evolve and change over time. 

1. How do you want to feel before, during, and after the celebration? What’s your highest priority?

2. What would your Pinterst board look like if you created these days to be filled with happiness, rest, and ease or your highest priorities in mind?

3. What do you see as essential (activities, food, presents, travel, etc.) to create those feelings of happiness, rest, and ease?

4. What would you want to get rid of, stop doing, or add to your celebration days? Bonus: Ditch the guilt and see this as an opportunity to bring the fullest version of yourself into celebrations.

5. How do you plan to communicate your new or updated holiday or celebration plans to those you love?

Take this Further:

Real Life Example:

Something that’s changed my life, regarding how I approach holidays and birthdays, is what I call “celebration minimalism.” To me, it’s all about giving myself full permission to only focus on what gives me and my family joy, creates ease, and allows me to rest.

This year, instead of driving six hours to see my family, baking cookies for weeks in advance, making an Insta-worthy dinner, and wrapping presents until midnight, we booked a local holiday train ride for Christmas Eve for our family.

The train provides entertainment, cookies, and hot cocoa. Bonus: All we have to do is show up!

We do minimal physical gifts as part of our “celebration minimalism.” This experience is a gift to my children and allows me to really enjoy the holiday, show up fully, and be present with my family, which is my highest priority.

Your time, budget, and highest priorities may look different than mine. This is why I encourage you to answer the questions above and define what’s most important to you. This way you can honor your highest priorities, show up fully, and wake up the next day feeling joyful!

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