Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! I can hear that tune, the sound of the bells, the smell of pine, and the sight of twinkling lights brightening the dark night. This is the season of festivities, gatherings, and joy. It’s also a time when it's all too easy to overdo, overindulge, and overcommit.

Here’s the good news. If you’re already feeling like it’s too much, I’ve come up with some antidotes. You can increase joy, reduce anxiety and stress, and restore more balance. Of course, you can use these strategies at any time, but they can be especially helpful during the holidays when stress can be high.

The underlying concept is based on what you might need more of or less of right now. Experimenting with even one of these could bring you more joy and happiness today. And what’s not to love about that?

4 Ways to Foster Joy, Reduce Anxiety, and Bring More Balance Right Now

What I love about these techniques is their simplicity and their ability to address a wide range of needs. Maybe you’re tired or anxious. Perhaps you want to have more fun. Or maybe you’re yearning for the familiar. There’s something for everyone. Pick and choose which strategy or combination of techniques will be most useful for you.

1. Invite in More Rest

I remember kindergarten, when the teacher insisted on nap time. We would unroll uncomfortable, smelly mats onto the hard floor, be quiet and still (not easy for a five-year-old Linda), and be forced to nap for what felt like an eternity. Naptime felt like a punishment. I felt like I was missing out on life. Instead, I wanted to play, talk, learn, and interact with my friends.

However, as an adult, I’ve come to respect and understand the value of giving my mind and body a short time to rest. It’s a beautiful way to stop, refresh, and return with more energy, focus, and kindness.

If you go all in, you’ll come back feeling more relaxed and joy-filled. Here’s the recipe for a short, restorative rest:

• Find a quiet spot.

• Wrap yourself in the coziest blanket (my favorite part).

• Dim the lights.

• Set an alarm for 15-20 minutes.

• Allow yourself to settle.

• Nap away.

This is a wonderful antidote to the “overdoing it” that often comes with the holiday season. If you’re tired or cranky, invite in some rest. Wake up more joy-filled.

2. Engage in Spontaneous Fun

There are so many truly horrific things happening in the world. They weigh heavily on our hearts and minds, making the idea of having fun feel impossible or inappropriate.

However, to handle the hard things life brings, it’s important to bring some balance by replenishing your resilience reserves. One way to do this is to invite in fun, even if it’s unplanned. Say yes to silliness. That might look like going to a comedy show, having a snowball fight, playing charades, or listening to music while doing goofy dance moves.

The other day, my husband and I had a wonderful BBQ lunch at a local restaurant. It was delicious and filling. It was also right near a local mall. After lunch, we went to the mall, not to shop, but to walk off the beef brisket and hot sausage sandwiches we had just eaten.

As we walked, we discovered Dream Riders, a store that offers electric ride-on plush animals. While they are marketed for kids, adults can ride them, too. I saw the animals lined up and a few kids riding them around, and I thought, “Hey, this looks like fun. I want to try it!”

And since Steve is always up for anything (one of the many things I love about him), he was on board immediately. We spent 10 minutes riding, laughing, smiling, and having a blast. Aside from having fun, the sight of us enjoying ourselves made other people smile and laugh as we passed by, riding our Panda and Tiger.

Embracing impromptu or intentional fun during the holiday season is a wonderful way to nurture joy.

“Say yes to silliness.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Do a Quick Reset

A few weeks ago, I shared five simple practices to reduce stress. I have one more that helps with handling anxiety, which can surface during the holidays. As wonderful as it can be to visit with family, it can also be anxiety-producing to return home. Anxiety can surface from being around too many people, experiencing more noise than you’re used to, having your routines disrupted, or having unhealthy childhood habits, relationship patterns, or interactions surface.

One strategy that helps is using the 3-3-3 Rule. It’s a simple, effective reset that can be used anywhere, anytime. Here is the method:

• Set: If possible, go to a private space, such as a bedroom or bathroom, where you won't be disturbed.

• See: Name three things you see, like a blue glass sink, a green plant, or a white wall lamp.

• Hear: Name three sounds you hear, like people talking in the other room, the boiler humming, or a truck rumbling outside.

• Move: Move three parts of your body, such as opening and closing your hands, moving your head side to side, or stretching your arms above your head.

Exercising the 3-3-3 Rule will create distance from your anxious thoughts and ground you in the present moment by engaging with your environment and physical sensations.

This reset is an excellent strategy to reduce anxiety and restore balance during the holiday season and beyond.

4. Revisit a Tradition

I’m not sure if you’ve had this experience, but for me, some seasonal traditions remain, some are reimagined, and others disappear completely. These traditions can evoke a mix of feelings, from joy and happiness to grief, frustration, longing, excitement, and relief.

One annual tradition we look forward to is celebrating the winter solstice. Lighting the giant bonfire in the woods signals a transition to the new season. It also marks a change, with a gradual return to less darkness and longer, light-filled days.

For 32 years, our friends have invited family and friends to join this magical experience. At night, each person carries a lit candle up the hill into the woods, where a tepee-like structure of wooden sticks stands tall in the darkness. Before the bonfire is lit, we are encouraged to reflect on what was, release what we no longer want, and imagine how we wish the new year to be. The structure is lit and begins to burn slowly.

When ready, each person carefully approaches the fire and tosses their candle in. I watch, mesmerized and in awe, as the flames gain energy and bring warmth. Tinder sparks fly up and dance wildly against the night sky. Crackling sounds, shifting wood, and the voices of people enjoying each other’s company are the evening’s soundtrack.

Traditions can be comforting, especially those that renew and lift your soul. The winter solstice gathering is one of my favorites each year. It’s a joyful way to release the past, imagine the future, and reconnect with special friends in the present. I’m so grateful to John and Judy for keeping this tradition alive.

What Do You Want to Invite This Holiday Season?

Are your holidays infused with joy, anxiety, or both? How would you like them to be? Is the balance and focus off? Which strategies resonate most with you? What brings you joy and balance?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, disorganized, stressed, or out of balance? Would you like to make changes? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized is possible, especially with support.

It’s the holiday season. Lights twinkle, gifts get wrapped, and plans are in flux. You’re doing your best to keep up with your daily commitments and the extra effort it takes to navigate this season of celebration, gatherings, and giving. It can be a lot, both wonderful and overwhelming.

On one hand, you have extra time to be with your loved ones and take a break from your normal routines. However, there can also be pressure to say “yes” to all invitations, buy gifts beyond your budget, or overindulge in holiday treats. There are more delicious cookies around than usual. Oh, no!

While the holiday season can be joyful, it can also be stressful, making you feel anxious and out of balance. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Recently, I discovered some wonderful grounding practices in “Are You Made at Me? – How to Stop Focusing on What Others Think and Start Living for You” by Meg Josephson, LSCW. These strategies help break the cycle of chronic stress, which negatively affects the mind and body.

Stress: “A Flirty Little Loop”

What is the stress cycle all about? Josephson explains, “The body naturally responds to stress – whether it’s real, remembered, or perceived– with tension, and this response keeps stress and tension going in a flirty little loop.” She describes the four-step cycle:

• Stressful Happening – This could be internal or external, such as “an anxious thought spiral or someone doing something to make you feel unsafe, whether or not you actually are.”

• Body Reacts – Your body responds by tensing up.

• Message Perceived – Tensed muscles send signals to the body indicating that “Something bad is happening! This is stressful.”

• Cycle Continues – “The tense muscles cue more anxious thoughts, more muscular tension, and more panic.” These reactions perpetuate the stress-and-tension loop.

Josephson says, “When the mind is tense, so is the body. When the body is tense, so is the mind. By first noticing that we’re tensing up, feeling stressed, we can immediately insert a pause into this automatic process and begin to soften our bodies. Being aware of the stress is what allows us to start to break the cycle.”

I will highlight my top five favorite grounding practices from the 14 that Josephson shared. These will help you reduce stress, feel more balanced, present, and calm.

“When the mind is tense, so is the body. When the body is tense, so is the mind. ”

— Meg Josephson, LCSW

5 Simple Grounding Practices to Reduce Stress and Nurture Balance

These techniques can be used at any time during your day when you feel stressed. It all starts with awareness—paying attention to body signals like tense muscles.

1. Increasing Exhale

Elongate your exhale by doing a few cycles where you exhale longer than you inhale. For example, inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 6. This technique stimulates the vagus nerve, which immediately activates the parasympathetic nervous system, or “rest and digest” mode.

2. Humming

Keep your mouth closed, relax your jaw, and breathe in and out through your nose while making a sound with your vocal cords. The gentle buzzing sound creates vibrations that stimulate your vagus nerve. Singing or chanting can also work because the larynx (the voice box) is connected to the vagus nerve.

3. Sensing with 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Use your senses to ground yourself by noticing the environment around you right now. Observe what’s nearby, and “Name five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.”

4. Using Your Hands

Research shows that “effective touch” is a stress reliever. This can include self-touch. Notice where you feel tension. Place your hand or palm on that area and breathe deeply. For example, if you’re feeling tension in your chest, put your hand there and breathe several times. This practice is calming and reduces stress.

5. Dancing

This practice feels especially fun during the holiday season. Of course, you can do it anytime. Dancing helps integrate movement and breath. It connects you to your body and takes you out of your head. Play your favorite tune and dance away.

How Do You Manage Stress and Invite More Balance?

It’s the season for joy and delight. But when you’re feeling stressed and off balance, accessing that joy can be difficult. Which of these five grounding practices resonates most with you? What else helps you feel grounded, calm, and balanced?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you feel overwhelmed, disorganized, stressed, or out of balance? Would you like to make progress? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s connect! I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized is possible, especially with support.

The holidays are quite the time of year. The twinkling lights decorating the landscape cue us to this season of giving, celebrating, and reflecting.

You might be finishing this year’s projects or beginning new ones to continue in the new year. While joy-inducing opportunities are abundant, balancing the holidays, work life, personal plans, and life maintenance responsibilities can be stressful.

There are many ways to bring calm and balance into your life, and I’ve written extensively about them.

Recently, I read something valuable and relevant from James Clear, which I’ll share with you. I hope you find it helpful as you navigate your balance this season.

First, The Back Story

Are you familiar with James Clear’s “3-2-1 Thursday” newsletter? Each issue includes three of his short ideas, two quotes from others, and one question to consider. One of my clients told me about it, and I signed up immediately. I enjoy receiving his weekly wisdom in its easily digestible format.

Two Simple Rules

In a recent newsletter, Clear shared this:

“Two simple rules:

1. You get better at what you practice.

2. Everything is practice.”

He encourages observing yourself and others to notice what we’re practicing. He reminds us that where you focus is a choice. For example, are you practicing…

• “Getting mad on social media?”

• “The fine art of noticing how they have been wronged?”

• Stressing over being stressed?

• Saying “yes” to the point of being overscheduled?

• Not following through on commitments?

• Engaging in negative self-talk?

• Not sleeping enough?

• Accumulating more stuff?

One Insightful Question

Bringing awareness to your practices is essential for changing where your time and energy go. Clear asks, “What are you practicing?”

Do you want to “get better” at nourishing practices? If so, focus on those while reducing harmful ones.

“What are you practicing?”

— James Clear

Here are several of my recent practices:

• Overcoming the fear of doing it wrong

• Meditating and journaling daily

• Reading in the morning

• Connecting with my loved ones

• Enlisting help for a new project

• Setting boundaries

• Writing

• Respecting my energy levels

• Working with virtual organizing clients

Which Practices Will Bring You More Balance?

You have an opportunity to create a better balance this season. What will you focus on during the last few weeks of the year? Which practices can you let go of that no longer serve you? Which ones do you want to invite in?

You have choices. I’m excited to see how this idea can shift your balance. I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

Do you want support decluttering, organizing, planning, or creating more balance? I’d love to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – A local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Organization, balance, and ease are possible, especially with support.

We’re here, folks! Thanksgiving week is upon us. As I’ve talked with people about their holiday plans, I’ve heard a wide range of responses. Some are feeling completely stressed, while others are pretty relaxed. Are you at one extreme or somewhere in between?

The differences in how people are feeling revolve around things like . . .

• Are they hosting or being a guest?

• Are you bringing part of the meal to the host’s home?

• Will you be cooking, catering, or dining out instead?

• How many people will be at the event?

• Are you feeling organized enough or completely disorganized?

• Are you concerned about family dynamics or drama?

• How much traveling is involved?

• Is your Thanksgiving tradition the same, or will it be different this year?

• Are too many non-holiday things happening in your life right now?

• Are you missing loved ones who are unable to be with you?

• What? Thanksgiving is this week?

Which questions resonate with you? How are they influencing your approach and attitude about the holidays?

EASE: Embrace, Arrange, Savor, Express

I created a short acronym, EASE, to help you enjoy Thanksgiving more. This simple phrase works for everyone but is especially useful if you feel stressed or overwhelmed by this holiday or upcoming ones.

Breathe in EASE as you focus on engaging each idea.

• Embrace imperfection and unpredictability.

• Arrange simple, meaningful gatherings.

• Savor the flavors, conversations, and moments.

• Express gratitude for those things, big and small.

1. Embrace imperfection and unpredictability.

Embrace melds two ideas: Let go of perfection and acknowledge that life, let alone holiday gatherings, can be unpredictable. Focus on ‘good enough’ to soften perfectionistic tendencies. In addition, I remind myself of the many kooky things that happened at past Thanksgivings. We’re talking turkey catching on fire, EMS rescuing a guest who passed out, and almost pouring all of the gravy (that took days to make) down the kitchen drain.

While unpredictability might result in initial panic followed by quick action, the memories can evolve into fun and memorable Thanksgiving lore.

2. Arrange simple, meaningful gatherings.

Arrange encourages you to entertain in a meaningful and doable way. So, if cooking isn’t your thing, think about ways to make this aspect easier. Maybe it means letting someone else host, and you bring wine or dessert. Perhaps it means hosting but buying pre-made foods. Or maybe you’re going all out with hosting but simplifying the number of dishes you make.

More than what dishes you serve, the time spent together makes the holidays meaningful.

“Focus on ‘good enough’ to soften perfectionistic tendencies.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Savor the flavors, conversations, and moments.

To savor means thoroughly enjoying and appreciating something, especially by lingering on its lovely qualities. There are so many opportunities to savor on Thanksgiving. I love the scents and tastes of this holiday. I can’t wait to bite into a section of a juicy pomegranate with its garnet-colored tart and sweet seeds, smell the hot apple cider simmering on the stove, or hug and talk with my loved ones.

A mindful presence will bring ease as it helps you engage more deeply with foods, people, and moments of connection and love.

4. Express gratitude for those things, big and small.

Being intentional about what you’re grateful for profoundly benefits your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. For example, gratitude is a natural stress reducer, fosters resilience, strengthens relationships, encourages kindness, improves sleep, boosts self-esteem, reduces negativity, and cultivates mindfulness.

While gratitude is often associated with and promoted more during the holiday season, expressing gratitude is a practice and awareness that can be integrated into every day.

Acknowledging even one thing you are grateful for will bring you more ease.

Human-Centered Thanksgiving

Approaching the holidays with EASE will help you focus on what’s most important and let go of what isn’t. You’ll feel less stressed, more joyful, and calmer. What can you do to infuse more ease into your holidays? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Do you want help decluttering, organizing, brainstorming, or planning? Have you experienced the benefits of having an accountability partner? I’m here for you. Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – A local feel with a global reach.

Please schedule a Discovery Call, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, or call 914-271-5673. Organization and ease are possible, especially with support.