End of Year Celebrations: Between Craziness and Love

You must all be preparing your end of year celebrations, maybe traveling to see your family or friends. For many people, this period is a time of joy, excitement and happiness. For many others, this period can be a synonym of high stress alert.

Stress because of the presents you have to organize. Stress because of the food to prepare for everyone. Stress because of all the Christmas drinks and dinners that you are invited to and that are sabotaging your health and sleep. Stress because some family reunions are not that joyful. Stress because you have to travel through crowded airports.

And yes, on top of that, this period can be quite sad for many people who feel lonely and isolated. All those Christmas songs everywhere, those bright Christmas trees and people running around to find the best gifts can actually seem fake and superficial.

This article is to help you feel better during this celebrations period.

1. Celebrations' stress

To me, all those festivities should be just a "reason" to get together, to share some love, to tell your loved ones that you love them. Christmas shouldn't be a synonym of a gifts' party. It is so much more than that. You don't even need to be religious to celebrate it.

We tend to forget the basics, where it comes from, what it originally meant. Many different religions actually have big celebrations at this time of year, and for all of them, it is about the same thing: sharing love and forgiveness.

Traveling to spend time together should be the best gift ever. Why spend more money on superficial things? Share quality time together, especially with the elderly who often feel lonely during the year while we are all busy living our lives. Share a good dinner together, have a good laugh, talk about deep subjects so that you can re-connect again with your loved ones.

If you are too overwhelmed with all those rituals: take it easy, realize what is truly important in that moment, make it something deeply special. Sometimes, a big hug has much more value and power than an expensive purchase.

Let everyone participate in the preparations - it is even more fun. And take time for yourself: get some fresh air, have some deep belly breathing, even just 10-15 minutes of deep breathing or meditation. This quiet time is essential, so make it a priority, so that you can enjoy all the craziness even more.

2. If you feel lonely

This happens to more people than we think. Many elderly people are alone during that period. Some families are separated. Some people feel a bit more sad because they have lost a dear one recently and celebrations are a reminder of how it used to be.

For all those reasons, some people can feel quite isolated, and even a bit depressed during that time. I think it is normal to feel like that. The best thing to do is to enjoy that time off to just get back in touch with yourself, connect to your inner self through meditation or some deep belly breathing exercises.

Connecting back with your inner self will show you that happiness is IN YOU, that this time of year has its ups and downs, but that the way you react to them only depends on you. Make it a time for self-reflection, for some self-love.

If you are actually alone, make it your own celebration. We should all be able to be alone sometimes, enjoying this time just with ourselves, and be fulfilled with it. Life is not meant to be easy or fair, but for sure it is always worth it.

3. The shopping rush you cannot stand

My personal view is simple: the end of year should be a LOVE time, a time we spend with people we don't see that often during the year. The best gift people can give me is just to be present, and to be willing to share quality time with me - at home, having a cup of tea, having a walking conversation.

What I like to give to my family is things that maybe they don't know would be good for them - some superfoods, or holistic health tips they don't know about and that will help them feel better throughout the year.

Show love the whole year through. Show appreciation the whole year through. A smile, a hug, a loving look - these can make much more wonders than any gift.

4. Traveling

If you have to travel, deep belly breathing works perfectly even in the middle of a crowded airport.

Make sure you have some good nutritious food with you when you travel, especially for a long trip. Plan your organic food box to eat on the go. I personally always have some avocado and pink Himalayan salt with me - easy to carry and it feels amazing.

My travel supplement survival kit always includes:

• -Oregano oil (immune booster)
• -Activated charcoal (for digestive upset)
• -Probiotics (to maintain gut flora)
• -Vitamin C and D
• -Magnesium (for sleep and recovery)

Have a beautiful, nourishing festive season.

In Health and Happiness,

Stephanie