From Frazzled to Fa La LA

Feeling excitable? Wired? No, tired. Or maybe stressed. Little anxious? Frazzled? I know--overwhelm. Even down? T’is the season.

Emotions and expectations can be complex during the holidays, despite all of ths blessings and no matter how much calming tea you consume! We can get caught up in everything from frustrations and fatigue to family demands and dynamics.

The key is to welcome them all. No, not all your relatives 🙃, but okay, sure. Accept and welcome any and all of your depleting emotions...in order to let them go and make space for a subtle shift to satisfaction and content.

"Accept then Welcome to Let Go" is a key step in building emotional resilience, backed by the Path2Green framework utilized at the University of Georgia, Athens, School of Medicine.

This framework is grounded in the science of mindfulness, letting go, and heart-centered breathing 💓 🧠, as supported by recent scientific articles from Caswell, Madhira and McCraty, respectively (which I read while curled up with my Tazo holiday tea).

The following "How To" Should be on everyone's holiday list.

How To Shift from Frazzled to more Fa La La...
(By accepting, welcoming and letting go of a depleting emotion):

1. Breathe and center 🫁
Close your eyes and take slow, even breaths—four in, four out. Imagine the air moving in and out through your heart.

2. Name and notice 🎯
Identify one depleting emotion you want to release and observe where it appears in your body.

3. Accept and welcome 💁🏼‍♀️
Acknowledge the emotion as a normal human signal. Gently welcome it—perhaps with a hand on your heart or a soft phrase of acceptance.

4. Release 🎈
Say to yourself, “This energy is released. I can feel my body relax.” Take one more deep breath and settle into the feeling.

This simple process can help you let go of emotions, thoughts or feelings that are holding you back or dragging you down. It can bring you moments of peace and joy...without the pressure of feeling jolly all of the time.