{"id":2060,"date":"2023-12-22T17:39:11","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T17:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chrisnorton.org\/?p=2060"},"modified":"2023-12-22T17:39:11","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T17:39:11","slug":"not-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisnorton.org\/blog\/not-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"NOT the most wonderful time of the year?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Hi\u00a0Friend,
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\r\nIt\u2019s NOT<\/strong> the most wonderful time of the year<\/em>\ud83c\udf84. According to a recent study, 88% of Americans\u00a0believe the holidays are the most stressful time of the year.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0fueled by overspending, hanging out with people perhaps you don\u2019t want to hang out with \ud83d\ude06, giving the perfect gift, and planning family events. This year let\u2019s strive for peace, which is peace in your heart and not\u00a0the absence of problems. Here are my 3 Holiday Survival Tips:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n

1. Lower expectations<\/strong>. Things will never go according to plan and that\u2019s not only reality, but it\u2019s okay. We see these unrealistic holiday moments on TV which just fuels our desire to make things perfect and control everything. However, kids will be crying, messes will be made, and someone will get sick or grumpy. Free yourself by letting go and lowering expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n

2. Plan less<\/strong>. We stress ourselves out trying to jam pack our calendar with activities and manufacture these magical experiences. Take that pressure off yourself. There is nothing wrong with a lazy pajama day sipping hot cocoa and playing board games. The real magic isn’t about how many activities you cross off your list but being completely present with those you love.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n

3. Set healthy boundaries<\/strong>. Inevitably with family gatherings disagreements, controversial topics and past hurts will be brought up. You can\u2019t control other people but you decide whether you are going to involve yourself. When a really sensitive issue comes up, express how the topic makes you feel and that if it continues to be discussed, you are going to leave – whether that\u2019s into another room or taking a drive. This is a healthy way to take care of yourself and create more peace.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n

I promise if you do these three things you\u2019ll bring more joy into what should be the most wonderful time of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays,\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u00a0\r\n\r\n

Chris
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\r\nClick\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0share with a friend if you found this valuable \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hi\u00a0Friend, It\u2019s NOT the most wonderful time of the year\ud83c\udf84. According to a recent study, 88% of Americans\u00a0believe the holidays are the most stressful time of the year.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0fueled by overspending, hanging out with people perhaps you don\u2019t want to hang out with \ud83d\ude06, giving the perfect gift, and planning family events. This year let\u2019s strive […]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nNOT the most wonderful time of the year? - Chris Norton<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisnorton.org\/blog\/not-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NOT the most wonderful time of the year? - Chris Norton\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hi\u00a0Friend, It\u2019s NOT the most wonderful time of the year\ud83c\udf84. 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