Welcome to Week 7 of the Holiday Countdown—Moving into Celebration: When to Push Yourself and When to Retreat.

** Join my FREE Monthly Coaching & Community Call on 12/17 or 12/18. See the details at the end of this email to register. **

I hope you are remembering that the holidays are a marathon and not a sprint. One of the main purposes of this calendar is to help you with your pacing. I hope that you are doing that. 😀  This week is all about YOU!!  

Don’t worry if you are just joining in this week, that is OK. Here is the link to what we have covered if you would like to take a look back, or you can just jump in today.

Last week we talked about:

• Trying Something New
• Checking in with Yourself
• Recognizing Abundance 

Remember to keep the intention that you set for this holiday in mind every day so you can keep focused and grounded on your north star. This will help to lead you to your finish line. 

I am here to guide you every step of the way. Together, we’ve got this.  💪🏻

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On to the nitty gritty of the week. Here is what I would like you to think about this week:

December 16:

Time off?  If you are working, are you taking some time off over the holidays? Or if you are not taking any time off, maybe that is a slower time at the office for you? Plan how you want to spend that time so you can be intentional with it. If you will be at home, maybe you’ll want to read a new book, binge watch a new show or do a project around the house. If you are working and it is a slow time at the office, perhaps that is when you do your annual planning or clean up some unfinished projects.

December 18:

Cheer?  As a widow, I remember feeling like I was in a bubble during the holidays.  How can my heart be so heavy and I feel so overwhelmed, while everyone around me looks so happy and festive? How can they not remember that the person that I loved the most is gone? The holiday cards keep arriving in the mail, some of them with the year-in-review summary of how great their year was—all the fabulous trips, their perfect children and job promotions. Then you have the smiling, complete family face looking at you. It is hard. I am only saying this because all of these people don’t know what you are going through. They don’t know what to say, and they are focused on themselves. Do what you need to do to protect yourself from that. If that means not opening the cards, don’t do it. If that means turning off the Christmas music and playing heavy metal music instead, do that. 

December 20:

Tree check-in.  This is an emotional check-in with you. For those who celebrate Christmas and those who don’t, it’s hard to avoid it. Christmas decorations start going up in September. We are now in the full height of all of the holiday displays. You can’t avoid it. There is holiday music in the stores. If you go to group exercise classes, they are likely incorporating that music. Even on your commute home from work, you are bombarded by holiday lights everywhere. There can seem to be no escape. It can be a lot, especially in grief. The memories can come flooding back of the 'remember whens'… I remember early on in my grief, when my children were younger, I would put them to bed and then go to our living room, look around at all of our decorations, think of Steve and cry. Memories would come flooding back, and it was so hard, but it was also a way that I connected with him. It was my little private time to talk to him, because I knew that he would understand. I encourage you to find your way to connect with your loved one in whatever way feels right to you. Talk to them; share and leave that conversation knowing that they are proud of all that you are doing. 

To learn more about Jody’s coaching programs, click here.

You are invited...

...to join my FREE Coaching & Community Zoom Session on Tuesday, December 17, at 6:00 p.m. CST or on Wednesday, December 18, at noon CST for widows who are also working.

Let's come together as a community and share how we can honor our loved ones and manage our emotions through the coming holidays.

Come with any questions you may have—nothing is off limits.