Welcome to Week 5 of the Holiday Countdown!

** HOLIDAY OFFER: Single Session Advising Call with Exclusive 20% Discount until 12/31. See details at the end of this email. **

Thanksgiving is done. ✅

I hope that you were able to find some moments of peace for yourself. Now we will be focusing our attention on the December holidays that are coming. Maybe if you decided to decorate your home this holiday, you started that this weekend. Maybe you are forgoing decorations this year. Whatever you choose, just know that is OK. No one else gets to tell you what you “should” do. There are never “shoulds” in widowhood.

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:

• Executing
• Finding Peace
• Checking In

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 2:

Commitments.  Be intentional about what you are committing to or not committing to. Think of YOU first. What will fill your cup and what won’t?  How many gatherings or parties do you want to commit to? Remember, you are in the driver’s seat. If you are looking at your calendar and you have overcommitted, cancel something. It is OK. Remember, this is about pacing. You are grieving—you get a pass. Come up with your phrase for why you are declining if you feel you need to. It could be, “This is a difficult time of year for me, and I am needing to scale back. I look forward to grabbing a coffee with you in the New Year.” Or much more simply, “No thank you, but please invite me again.” 

December 4:

Plan Your Exit. Think ahead to the events that you are attending.  Before you go, think through who you want to spend time with. If you feel like many people are going to ask how you're doing, remember that they don't 'get it'. They have likely not had their spouse die. They are genuinely concerned and just don’t know the right thing to say. It is helpful to think through how you might respond to the “How are you doing?” question in advance. I created a short video about this that went viral on Facebook. Take a look at it here. 

You may want to invite someone to join you at the party—a friend, co-worker or neighbor. Someone who has your back. Tell them in advance how they can help support you at the event and what your 'let’s get out of here' sign is. If you do go alone, think through your exit plan. 

December 6:

Gifts.  Since you made your list early on, do a check-in on how you are doing. How is your shopping going? Who can you ask to help you? 

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

Special Holiday Offer

Are the holidays making your widow journey extra hard? A focused and efficient boost of guidance may be just what you need. My 50-minute advising session is a purposeful and concise opportunity created just for you.

Since you are a subscriber to my Holiday Countdown Calendar, I am offering you a limited time 20% discount on this offer until 12/31 using promo code HOLIDAY. You just need to purchase your call prior to 12/31, but you may schedule it in January if you prefer.