Your Guide to a Stress-Free, Gratitude-Filled Holiday Week

Thanksgiving: a day of family, friends, food, and immediately followed by the siren song of Black Friday sales. This pattern seems to be focusing more and more on the latter than what comes first. Have you ever been watching tv on Nov. 1 and suddenly every commercial is a Black Friday sale? We are constantly being bombarded with the need for more. With a promise that once we have more, we will be satisfied. Well, that’s almost never the case.

Did you know that, in 2024, approximately 130.4 million Americans shopped on Black Friday? This year, let’s make a conscious shift to focus on what we have and prioritize our well-being over the pursuit of more.

Instead of living life like we were on a treadmill, constantly going after what we don’t have, let’s zoom back in and look at what we do have and how we can slow down to take care of ourselves this Holiday season.

Here are some practical mindset shifts that we can all do this week:

• Take a 5-minute inventory: Dedicate 5 minutes daily to list things that you are already using and are grateful to have. (a cozy blanket, a favorite mug, a warm sweater)
• What you already have is enough: Reframe the thinking of why you think you need an item. Is it just the pressure to buy more stuff? *If it is something that you have been needing and have been saving for, make the decision that is right for you*
• Black Friday Counter-Programming: Try and stay offline. Go for a walk outside instead. Volunteer somewhere. Write Holiday cards to loved ones. Do a craft.

Aside from the stressors and pressure of shopping, Thanksgiving week can often be a stressful week anyways. With travel, hosting, family dynamics, there are many factors that can make it difficult to take care of ourselves.

Spend a few moments this week taking care of your well-being. Here are some simple and quick tips:

• The 3-breath rule: When feeling overwhelmed, stop and take three deep, slow breaths. It resets your nervous system and helps communicate to our bodies that we are okay.
• Quiet time: Schedule some quiet time in your days. It can be a morning cup of coffee, taking a walk outside, reading a book, or stretching.
• Set realistic boundaries: Give permission to say no to something that may drain you more than bring you joy. Let go of the need to be perfect or always “on”.

The true gift of this Holiday week is the recognition of our current abundance in life. We can still find gratitude in the smallest, most simplest of things. This Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful for all we already have, and let’s give. Give to our loved ones, strangers, and give to our own well-being.