Introduction: Embracing Empowerment During the Holidays
As the holiday season approaches, I find myself summoning an extra dose of strength to gracefully utter a gentle "no thanks." If you're a fellow service provider like me, you likely embody the qualities of a beautiful empath, perhaps even a recovering people-pleaser. This time of joy often brings an increased influx of interactions, especially with family and clients navigating year-end stresses. If you've ever felt the swell of anger, sadness, frustration, or a sense of being misunderstood during this season, know that you're not alone.
These emotions often signal a boundary or value being tested. It's crucial to extend grace to yourself and others in such moments. In this article, let's explore empowering strategies for navigating boundaries during the holidays, embracing these moments as opportunities for growth and self-discovery.
1. Feelings as Signals: Recognizing and Embracing Emotions
Acknowledge and name the emotion you feel right away. It’s ok to start with anger (you are completely human, and anger is such a helpful emotion when it comes to taking action!) or sadness (sitting with sadness right away helps to curb tears when navigating a full day with clients).
2. Journaling: Unveiling Triggers and Finding Release Take a moment to journal about these feelings and what triggered them. Grab any piece of paper and journal what emotions are coming up for you as well as the situations that triggered them. I find writing a letter helps… sometimes to the person who upset me and sometimes to God/Goddess/Universe.
3. Prayer and Meditation: Nourishing the Soul Sit quietly for a few moments as soon as you can to find guidance. Prayer and meditation are your best friends to down-regulate your nervous system and clear your mind to connect with the best course of action to serve all parties involved. Gratitude for all that you have and the incredibly wonderful person you are RIGHT NOW is also really helpful to shift back to equilibrium.
4. The Power of Face-to-Face Communication Call a face-to-face meeting. I know, this one takes a bit of bravery, but it is always a game-changer. Texting allows too much room for miscommunication, misinterpretation, and misalignment. Before meeting with the person, create a mini-outline of what you’d like to say and use this as your anchor when emotions start to come back up.
5. Trusting Yourself: A Reminder of Inner Strength Trust yourself. You are a well-meaning individual. You most likely already go above and beyond, and it is so very tough when it’s not acknowledged. When you feel anger or sadness, that is a sign that a boundary is being crossed and deserves attention, not only to guard your heart, energy and time but also to set an example for the other person and let THEM SEE your inner strength.
Conclusion: Empowering Your Boundaries
In summary, setting boundaries during the holidays is a profound act of self-empowerment. Embrace your emotions, acknowledge them as signals, and channel them into positive actions. Journaling, prayer, and meditation serve as your allies in finding inner guidance and balance. Face-to-face communication, though brave, can be a game-changer in fostering understanding.
Remember, you are a well-meaning individual, and your feelings of anger or sadness are signals that boundaries deserve attention. Trust yourself and let your inner strength shine. For more personalized empowerment strategies and a dedicated cheerleader in your boundary-setting journey, book a FREE 45-minute Discovery Call with me. Together, let's navigate the holiday season with grace and strength.