3 things you can do to make your holiday a little easier
3 things you can do to make your holiday a little easier
3 things you can do to make your holiday a little easier
If you follow me on social media, you’ve joined me for the 31 Days of Letting Go Challenge. We’ve been talking a lot about how important it is to let go of habits that may no longer serve you. The habits you adopt can be just as important.
We are entering the holiday season, and as magical as it can be, the holidays can also be a source of stress.
Remember to give yourself and others grace, practice self-compassion and kindness, and try these three habits to make your life just a little bit easier:
1. Ask yourself why
If you celebrate Thanksgiving, it is a great opportunity to share gratitude with the people in your life. It gives both you and the person on the receiving end a boost of happy hormones. When you think of something that brings you joy and gratitude, ask yourself, “Why am I grateful?” This helps you internalize it, which embeds the habit into your brain. This trains you to look for what’s right and offsets your brain’s negativity bias. Make a conscious effort to communicate gratitude to others.
2. Make today easier
Want to make your life easier? Ask yourself this question: What can I do to make today a little easier?
Take something off your to-do list or add something that brings you joy, watch a funny video, call a friend, or take a short nap. There are a million things you can do to make your day and life better. This is one of my favorite ways to bring more joy into my life.
3. Listen to your body
Tap into the power of your nervous system and recognize how you’re feeling. Your body will tell you what to do. Recognize and name your emotions and pay attention to sensations, thoughts, and tension in your body. This brings you back to the present moment and is the basis for mindfulness. Any time you feel yourself getting stressed or overwhelmed, breathe deeply. Remember, your feelings and thoughts are not facts. They are just information for your nervous system.
When we are stressed or overwhelmed, we take shallow breaths, and this deprives your brain of the oxygen it needs to think clearly. Reset your nervous system by taking three deep belly breaths, making the exhale longer than the inhale. This stimulates the calming response.
Remember to focus on the delicious moments, celebrate what’s most important, and be kind to yourself. I hope you have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!
Stay brave and resilient,
Anne
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Anne breaks down the daily habits and skills needed to grow and cultivate RESILIENCE.
I don’t know about you, but when the weather starts warming up and flowers start blooming, I suddenly feel the urge to clean everything. Closets, junk drawers, my email inbox, that mysterious Tupperware graveyard in the kitchen…the list goes on.
But here’s the thing most people forget: The most important space to declutter isn’t your garage—it’s your mind.
Here are 5️⃣ ways to give your brain a fresh start and reclaim some peace, time, and energy. 🧠
1. Clear Digital Clutter.
2. Do a Mental Sweep.
3. Prioritize Like a Pro.
4. Drop the Cape.
5. Breathe. For Real.
I’m sharing more in this month’s blog post! Link is in my bio 👆👆
Create a mantra this week, put it on a sticky note where you will see it, and say it often. Here is mine:
May I find joy
May I find peace
May I feel love
May I be at ease
#mindfulmonday #mindfulness #mantra #selflove #resilience
Take a break from your screen this weekend. 📲
Last week, I had the honor of speaking for the talented recruiting team at @bcg at the beautiful @rcchicago. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with BCG for 14 years, and they just keep getting better!
Midweek reminder to put your oxygen mask on first. 🗣
Today, I turn 5️⃣0️⃣. FIFTY! Like, half a century. I’m not sure how that happened because in my head I’m still 29 (but with better boundaries and worse joints).
As I cross this milestone with a few more laugh lines, a couple of scars, and a stronger appreciation for stretchy pants, here are a few things I’ve learned:
🏃♀️ Chase joy like it’s your job.
Life is loud and hectic, and it will gladly eat up every minute if you let it. Make time for things that make you laugh and bring you joy. Those are the moments that matter.
✨ Prioritize your people.
Your job is important, but it’s not your identity. The people you love are the greatest predictor of your happiness, health, and even how long you stick around. Nurture those relationships like your life depends on it—because it kinda does.
💪 Get uncomfortable.
Comfort zones feel safe but they are cozy little traps. Stay there too long and you start to shrink instead of grow. Try stuff that scares you a little. Be bad at something new. Say yes before you feel ready. Awkward is the price of admission for awesome.
🧠 Your body is not a rental.
It’s the only one you get. After a tumor, back surgery, and a triple fusion neck surgery in the not too distant future, I’ve learned the hard way: do not take your health for granted. Move and be active while you can.
🔌 Don’t waste your energy sweating the small stuff.
Because the big stuff will hit the fan—and that’s when you’ll need your mental and emotional strength. The rest will work itself out (or at least give you a funny story to tell later).
Thanks for being in my life. I appreciate you.
Here’s to another 50 years of grit, grace, and mildly inappropriate humor. 🎉
Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.