Tips From An Acupuncturist and Hypnotist To Stay Sane This Season

It's official: the holiday madness has begun.

Whether you are a fan of the holidays, or the reincarnation of the Grinch himself, it's widely known that this, the "most wonderful time of the year," is also the most stressful time of the year.

As far as you have come from the old you of your childhood past, being with family brings you right back into all the dysfunction, doesn't it? The old dynamics we experienced with siblings and parents back in our youth come flying back, full force, once the holidays arrive and we are overwhelmed with the old patterns and energies of the past.

Because we are human, we build up idealized images of what the holidays are supposed to look like: smiling families, Instagrammable meals, camaraderie and...

Wait. Does this actually exist in reality?

Maybe for a rare few, but the general consensus is this: holidays bring out both the best in people...and the worst.

There is a reason why people tend to get sick over the holiday season. Holidays are stressful!

As an acupuncturist and hypnotherapist, I spend my days giving people tools to help them cope with the stressors of their daily lives. Here are five tools that I recommend to keep you sane during this holiday season:

1. Stop getting angry at yourself for feeling what you feel. I see so many clients who experience anger, resentment, anxiety when faced with dealing with their families over the holidays. These emotions are immediately followed by regret and self-loathing: "There is something inherently wrong with me for feeling this way about my family. I should not be feeling this way. I am failing as a mother/daughter/sibling because I have these negative feelings."

Feelings are feelings. It's okay to be angry. It's okay to feel resentment and negativity. You're not "wrong."

What's NOT okay is to marinate in a stew of slowing boiling hatred, until you either blow up or give yourself an ulcer. It's okay to feel what you feel, and it doesn't make you a bad person: it makes you human. It's what you DO with those feelings that dictates your character.

Often, bringing yourself to a state of self-acceptance is enough to allow you to vent some of those negative emotions. Practice telling yourself: "I am angry/stressed/resentful, and I am justified in feeling this way because I am human, and I have emotions. This emotion is a temporary state, and it will pass."

2. This leads me to tip #2. The very nature of an emotion is that it will absolutely pass. Emotions are a temporary state. As I said above, feeling them is normal and okay. ACTING on them is not always the most productive route, though. So, when you feel the negativity rising up, think of it as a wave. It's rolling up to the shore right now, and in a short amount of time it will roll back out. In the interim, distraction is key. What can you do while waiting for this emotion to pass? Exercise is always a great option, as those endorphins can work wonders on your stress levels. Yoga, reading, meditation, acupuncture, petting your dog...there are a million distractions all around you that you can engage in while you are riding out that temporary wave of negative emotion.

3. Write it out. If you have unresolved issues that come around to haunt you every year like the ghosts of Christmas past, sometimes letting it all out in person isn't the best solution. Writing a letter to the person who is affecting you can be a powerful tool in venting some of those emotions. Get it all off of your chest, tell them how you really feel and how their actions and words have made you feel. Allow yourself to be real and raw and get it all out. Then, the most important part: Burn it IMMEDIATELY. It will not feel as exhilarating to release those true feelings in a letter if the person stumbles upon it on Christmas morning, I can promise you.

4. Breathe. Breath is so powerful. It is your body's most potent tool for both control and release. Start practicing 4-7-8 breathing. Here is how it works: empty your lungs. Then inhale slowly, to the count of 4. Hold this breath for 7 seconds. Then, exhale with force for 8 seconds. Repeat 4 times.

5. Practice H'oponopono. This is a Hawaiian prayer that consists of 4 simple phrases: I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you.

Repetition of this mantra on a regular basis really does make a difference! You will find yourself beginning to create a shift in your thinking, releasing old hurts and resentments more easily.

Yes, the holidays can be tough...but so are you. Utilize these tools to come back to a place of power and control over your responses to stressors, so that you can enjoy this season rather than dreading it.