There’s so much merriment, so much anticipation, and yet … the holidays can also feel like a lot of pressure to perform, to conform, to consume.
Here, we share our thoughts on navigating this season with your sanity and sense of inner peace intact.
From challenging the shop-and-spend cycle, to speaking your truth without inciting unnecessary conflict, we advocate for creating a satisfying holiday experience — your way.
And of course, we offer you some experiments to get you started in that direction, even as the holiday madness kicks into full swing.
P.S. We also happily announce our new sponsorship by Experience Life magazine, and the special, discounted subscription offer and free e-newsletters now available to The Living Experiment listeners.
“Holidays” Episode Highlights
- Thanksgiving as the model for what the holiday season could be — a celebration of gratitude for life, family and friends — rather than the frenzied weeks of hyper-commercialism and stress it has become
- Pilar and Dallas share their childhood experiences of Christmas, and their enduring preferences for simpler, less commercial celebration strategies
- Tips for getting along with people you disagree with at holiday gatherings, and why it’s important to expose yourself to different viewpoints
- Challenging the assumption that you have to be someone you’re not at family parties, or do the same things with the same people every year
- Substituting experiences for objects at gift-giving holidays
- The mismatch of social and consumer pressure with the quiet inwardness that naturally feels good in winter
Feel free to indulge in some unhealthy seasonal treats, but not just because they are there. Pick only those foods that offer a truly rich physical or emotional-social experience.
Consciously design a pleasurable, beautiful experience that is just for you. It could be decorating your home, taking a candle-lit hot bath, having an electronics-free evening, or making a special meal or drink. It shouldn’t be expensive or consume a lot of time. Revel in the experience and note how much satisfaction it brings.
Healthy-Living Wisdom, Delivered to Your Door
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Resources
- “Guilty Pleasures”, an article on conscious holiday food indulgence, via Experience Life magazine
- “Reinventing Traditions,” an article about the opportunities we have to revise long-standing rituals, and “The Six Best Gifts You Can Give Your Partner“, also via Experience Life.
- Listen to more healthy holiday recommendations from Pilar on Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl’s WCCO Radio Show, Off the Menu.
PLUS …
- Sign up for The Living Experiment newsletter so you can stay up to date with us, get free gifts, and receive notifications when new episodes are released.
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