418: Holiday Essentialism
School of Self-Image
Tonya Leigh
4.8 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 4 December 2024
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From Overwhelm to Calm: Redefining Your Holiday Season
The holiday season often brings a whirlwind of activities, expectations, and societal pressures that can lead to feelings of overwhelm and stress. However, by embracing the concept of holiday essentialism, you can transform your experience into one that is joyful and fulfilling. This approach encourages you to focus on what truly brings you joy while letting go of obligations that do not serve you.
Inspired by Greg McCowan's book "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less," which encourages focusing on fewer but more meaningful activities, Tonya challenges listeners to ask themselves three key questions:
- What truly brings them joy during the holidays?
- What activities they do out of obligation?
- What memories they want to create?
She discusses the societal expectations that can turn what should be a joyful time into a marathon of obligations. Tune in to discover how to shift your mindset and focus on what truly matters this holiday season, embracing the simple joys and calm instead of the chaos.
Talking Points:
01:09 - Holiday Overwhelm and Societal Pressures
02:13 - Fear of Disappointing Others
04:36 - What is Essentialism?
05:39 - Question 1: What Truly Brings Me Joy?
06:34 - Question 2: What Am I Doing Just Because I Think I Have To?
07:50 - Question 3: What Memories Do I Want to Create?
08:33 - Shifting from Excess to Intention
09:55 - Editing Ruthlessly
14:06 - Mindfulness and Being Present
17:02 - Secret Santa and Charitable Giving
18:04 - Simplifying the Holidays
23:10 - Setting Boundaries for Social Commitments
24:03 - Prioritizing Connection Over Perfection
24:13 - Setting Intentions for the Holiday Season
Quotes:
"If holidays are not your thing, especially around this time of year, I challenge you to skip it altogether."
"The shift in mindset with holiday essentialism is to move from access to intention and from pleasing others to cherishing moments."
"Just because you've done something for years doesn't mean you have to continue doing it."
"The holidays are not a performance and you don't have to be performative."
"Shed the souffle. Seriously, let her go. You don't need to do it."
"What people remember is how you made them feel."
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Every year, it seems the holidays arrive like a glittering freight train, full of joy, |
| 0:06.2 | but also pack with stress, overwhelm, and excess. But what if this year you approach the season |
| 0:13.5 | differently? What if you practice the art of essentialism and focused on what truly matters? |
| 0:20.2 | That's what we're talking about in today's |
| 0:22.2 | episode. So let's dive in. Welcome to the School of Self-image, where personal development |
| 0:30.5 | meets style. Here's your hostess, Master Life Coach, Tanya Lee. Hello, my friends. |
| 0:37.9 | Welcome to another episode of the podcast. |
| 0:41.0 | I'm recording this the day before Thanksgiving, and I'm in the process of wrapping up |
| 0:46.2 | some things so that I can unplug and go spend Thanksgiving with my family at my |
| 0:52.9 | parents' house. |
| 0:53.9 | I am so looking forward to the simple things, hanging out with my family, playing games, |
| 1:02.0 | eating some turkey, probably watching some football, you know, all of the Thanksgiving things. |
| 1:08.0 | And I think back to years prior and how I would be feeling this time of year. |
| 1:14.6 | And quite honestly, the word that comes to mind is holiday overwhelm. I would be feeling a lot |
| 1:21.0 | of overwhelm. I would be sprinting through crowded malls, over scheduling myself, and trying to live up to this |
| 1:29.8 | Pinterest perfect standard of what I thought a holiday should look like. I mean, have you ever |
| 1:36.6 | felt like holidays were less about joy and more about surviving a marathon of obligations? |
| 1:43.2 | Yeah, me too. That's how I felt for many, many years. |
| 1:46.5 | And I've thought a lot about why that is. And I think there are several things. I think, |
| 1:52.3 | one, there is this societal pressure to have a perfect holiday. You know, the ones you see on |
| 2:00.3 | Instagram, where the table is set perfectly and the |
| 2:04.5 | gifts are wrapped perfectly and the food looks like it came from a Michelin Star restaurant. And you |
... |
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