Get more HAPPY in your holidays

​Welcome to December!

Last week I celebrated Thanksgiving and disconnected from work for three days to enjoy my time with family. 

To control my stress, I spent the prior weekend taking care of all the cleaning chores and planning the menus. Then I took time out of my day on Monday to do all the grocery shopping. 

When everyone arrived Wednesday evening, I was calm and present. Despite all of the cooking and holiday decorating we did over those days, this was one of the happiest Thanksgivings. I ended the weekend feeling rejuvenated. 

It turns out that when we stay in the moment, versus allowing our mind to focus on stressful things like our to-do lists, our happiness increases. 

Check out this staggering fact from the research data of Matt Killingsworth.

We're mind-wandering at least 30 percent of the time, which suggests I think that mind-wandering isn't just frequent; it's ubiquitous. It pervades basically everything that we do. In other words, mind-wandering very likely seems to be an actual cause and not merely a consequence of unhappiness.

I stayed in the moment because I had a plan and didn't need to worry about when things would get done. I'd given myself permission to not work until Sunday and was confident that I wouldn't be behind. 

The upcoming weeks are the most packed in the year. It is easy to feel splattered and scattered, not a happy place. I encourage you to look ahead and craft a schedule for the to-do items that draw your attention away from the present and elevate your unhappiness. 

With each holiday party and event, you have a moment to share joy with others. However, science tells us that you're sabotaging the opportunity if you can't be fully present. 

​Listen to the full interview with Matt Killingsworth here:

Wishing you a peaceful and happy holiday season,

PS - if you are in Lousiville, please stop by my holiday open house this Saturday hosted in my beautiful co-working space that has 3 openings for 2022. We'd love to have a copywriter, social media, virtual assistant, graphic designer, or bookkeeper share the space and form a power-partnership with us.