It's Christmas Eve and I'm excited, and anxiously, and let's be honest here, I'm a little stressed out. You know what I'm talking about. right? When you're self employed, work don't always stop because everyone is celebrating a holiday. AND I'm traveling with family AND I want to make the day special with my family. I'm a Type A kind of girl and with all the rushing about I just had to take check out for a second and write this post, mostly as a reminder to myself, but I think you'll find some value in it too! When Holiday Stress has you strung out, try this: Take a quite moment to yourself It's 100% OK to excuse yourself from all the activity and find a quite moment just for you. Sneak off to a bedroom (heck, even the bathroom!), close your eyes and just breathe. Deep long breaths in for a count of 4, hold it for a count of 4, and exhale for a count of 8. Just doing that a couple time will calm your heart rate and settle your brain chatter. I might dab on a little Lavender Oil for an extra soothing boost. Remember, perfect doesn't have to actually be perfect I know, that's a crazy idea, right? Especially coming from a perfectionist! But here's the secret - sometimes people don't know what "perfect" looks like. Is everybody going to notice that the eyes on the Ginger Bead Men are crossed? Probably not. I know that I WILL NOTICE, but I might be the only one. I want to get everything "just right", that's just my nature, but if I'm cranky and driving everyone else crazy, in the end, it's not going to be worth it. Do your best, and it will be perfect. Say Thank You I'm sitting here typing and I am reminded how very lucky I am. My family is great. I have a business where I make a difference in people's lives every day. In those moment's of stress, if I can take a moment to appreciate all that I have, the stress actually melts away. So remember to be grateful for all that you have in your life! Most of all, thank YOU, my readers and clients and audience! I hope you have the happiest of holidays! Travel safe, enjoy your family time and let's all have an amazing 2014! XO, Hayley