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Holiday Self-Care Series: Explore Traditions


black and white photo of a christmas tree bulb

Holidays can be wonderful. They can also be hell. Complex emotions and expectations surrounding major holidays can take a toll emotionally and cognitively, often impacting our physical well being as well. This short series offers a few things to rethink. Retool. Refresh. Reexamine. Rejuvenate. With a bit of reflection and modification, we can make the holidays brighter and lighter for ourselves and the ones we love.


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This third article about exploring traditions. Traditions can be meaningful, socially significant, and spiritually and culturally beautiful things. They can build a community. Connect us to our past. Act as binding agents in a family. Serve as ways to explore ourselves. They can also be a lot of tiresome work. They can also feel outdated and disconnected from our current lives and concerns.

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CREATE JOY


There are countless traditions during holiday seasons. This year, think about upholding and cherishing only the traditions that bring you and your loved ones the most... Happiness. Reverence. Love & Joy. You don't have to do it all.

You don't have to be everywhere.

You don't have to do all the things. In an already stressful and time-crunched time, don't feel like you have to be a Holiday Superhero - doing ALL the things in ALL the holidayish ways. Just like with event-based commitments, be selective with your traditions; set limits. If it turns out you regretted a change or missed out on something this year, just make note of it and plan differently next time.


Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as ... a fiddler on the roof! -Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof

CREATE YOUR OWN

The great thing about a tradition, is it can be started at any time. We can create our own. The purpose of a tradition is to share knowledge, connect, and inspire. If none of the usual holiday ones do that for you, do your own thing. It doesn't matter WHAT it is, but HOW you do it. If it creates hope and joy, you're on the right track.


Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds. the most powerful ones are those we can't even describe, aren't even aware of. -Ellen Goodman

CREATE WELL BEING


Nearly all the tips in this series have encouraged you to do "less," but this final one is about doing "more" -- doing more to create your well being. Because the holidays are often a time when we KNOW we're going to experience high stress, we need to do MORE to care for ourselves, and prioritize our health. We need to have a plan of action. We need to set ourselves up to win. Even if that's a rough set of ideas. Even if that's just a few small modifications. Even if that's just the desire to change things for the better. Make time for the things that ease your stress, melt your tension, help you process emotions, feel connected in community, foster rest, and brighten your inner light.

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Raechel Haller Massage Therapist Holland MI Michigan

Whoa, you made it all the way down to the footer!
And might be wondering... who wrote all these words?
Well hello! My name's Raechel and I'm a massage therapist.

I enjoy researching and writing about pain and wellness; nerding out about sci-fi or Dungeons & Dragons; gardening; sailing; thoughtful conversations; loving my German Sheppard dog; and getting lost in a book. Or two. Or three.

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