58. Less Stress, More Joy: Flourishing This Holiday Season with Brenda Jasmin

Seeking more calm and joy this holiday season? This episode focuses on navigating the holiday season with more positive emotion and less stress, using science-backed positive psychology strategies. Your host, Brenda Jasmin, delves into the emotional landscape of the holidays, exploring how the highs and lows of the holidays can impact our well-being, and what you can do to flourish during this festive season. Four key strategies are outlined: managing your energy, focusing on what is meaningful and important, trading expectation for appreciation, and practicing intentional acts of kindness. The importance of intentional holiday planning, maintaining regular self-care habits, choosing engagements wisely, and showing gratitude is emphasized. The idea of trading material gifts for shared experiences is suggested as a longer-lasting source of happiness. Finally, listeners are encouraged to let go of perfectionism and embrace the imperfections of the holiday season. 00:00 Introduction to the Holiday Season 00:29 Understanding the Emotional Highs and Lows of Holidays 01:12 The Science Behind Holiday Stress and Joy 01:42 Four Strategies for a More Joyful Holiday Season 01:51 Strategy 1: Managing Your Energy 02:21 Understanding Energy Depletion and Replenishment 03:21 The Role of Willpower in Energy Management 17:39 Strategy 2: Focusing on What's Meaningful and Important 20:58 Creating Your Holiday 'Yes' and 'No' Lists 36:28 Strategy 3: Trading Expectation for Appreciation 40:00 Strategy 4: Practicing Intentional Acts of Kindness 45:33 Conclusion: Embracing the Holiday Season Recommended Resources: Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney https://a.co/d/gnsRoMg About Brenda Jasmin: Brenda Jasmin is a resilience trainer, certified life coach, creator of the Happiness Habits Academy, and host of the She Flourishes podcast. Brenda delivers workshops on the science of resilience and wellbeing to corporate and public audiences. Brenda is passionate about helping women experience greater well-being and less stress using research-based tools from the field positive psychology. Along with her two coaching certifications, Brenda holds a B.A. in Psychology and a Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP).   Brenda has been married to her university sweetheart for over 20 years, is a mother to a 20-year-old daughter and 18-year old son and has a yellow lab named Cali. When she’s not coaching or delivering talks, you can find Brenda hiking, watching a sunrise, downhill skiing or watching the latest season of Bridgerton or The Crown. Here’s how you can connect with Brenda Jasmin: Instagram: @_brendajasmin Get Brenda’s Guide on “How to Be Happier in Uncertain Times”: https://brendajasmin.kartra.com/page/happier Join the She Flourishes Women’s Well-being Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sheflourishescommunity Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendajasminworkshops/ Website: www.brendajasmin.com Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendajasmin/