Day 74 of 100 days of hope
The holidays can be full of joy, connection, and celebration—but they can also bring stress, pressure, and emotional overload. Between family expectations, schedules, finances, and the desire to make everything magical, it’s easy to feel stretched thin.
One of the most supportive things we can do during this season is to slow down and reconnect with ourselves. When we feel grounded and resourced from within, everything else feels more manageable. Today I want to share three simple practices I use that make a meaningful difference in how I move through the holidays.
Grounding Through Your Body
When stress rises, our minds start spinning and our bodies tense up.
One of the easiest ways to interrupt that pattern is to connect with the earth through your feet.
Take a moment to:
feel the floor beneath you
let your shoulders soften
breathe a little slower
Grounding reminds you that you have support. The earth is literally holding you up. When I do this, I feel myself letting go of the need to control everything. I remember that I am okay, and that I don’t have to carry it all alone.
Love Scoops: A Simple Practice of Self-Nourishment
This next tool is something I learned from Katie Hendricks called Love Scoops, and it has become one of my favorites.
Imagine a bowl of love in front of you.
Now scoop that love onto your body wherever you need it—your heart, your shoulders, your belly, your arms. Let your body receive it.
Katie Hendricks teaches, “Love is a renewable resource that you can generate within yourself anytime.”
I love this because it shifts love from something we hope someone else will give us, to something we can cultivate and offer ourselves whenever we need it.
And if you’re in a crowd or a busy space, you can pretend your love bowl is beside you and give yourself a tiny, subtle scoop with your fingers. No one will know—but you’ll feel the support.
The “Here I Am” Appreciation Hug
Another practice I love is a self-appreciation exercise that feels both playful and powerful.
Open your arms wide and say:
“Here I am.”
Then wrap your arms around yourself and say:
“I’m so glad.”
Do this a few times until you feel a shift—warmth, happiness, or a little spark of joy inside.
It’s amazing how quickly this builds self-connection and appreciation. When we feel seen by ourselves, we show up differently for others.
Why These Practices Matter
During the holidays, we often focus on everyone else’s needs.
These practices help you:
feel grounded
generate your own love and support
stay present
connect more deeply with the people you care about
They don’t take much time or effort, but they truly make a difference.
When we can self-source love, appreciation, and calm, we move through the season feeling more alive, present, and joyful.
Try Them Today
My hope is that you try one—or all—of these tools and notice how they support you.
Let me know how they work for you! I would love to hear your experience.
The holidays may be stressful, but we can get through them together with more love, connection, and grace.
Here is a short video to see how it’s done.
💛 Much love, my friend.