The holiday season is here and so are the difficult interactions with family!

Christmas has passed, but the New Year is still upon us! There is still time for annoying experiences with the family! You may think that you know how to control your emotions. But are you really in control? Most of us during the holidays are overwhelmed, overworked and overtired. . . We have so much going on, but don?t know how to get things done. When we are overwhelmed during the holidays even the smallest things can aggravate us (maybe the in-laws). We all have triggers and you may not be aware of them.

How you manage your thinking and emotions will affect how you show up during the holidays.

You want to enjoy the holidays and be present. Not just let it all pass by in a hurry without actually appreciating the holiday time with family. Imagine this happened! It?s Christmas Day. You sat down to eat a wonderful holiday dinner. You had spent hours cooking and baking to put a great meal on the table. You invited 10 family members and everyone showed up. Your mother-in-law (the usual culprit?) just tasted your apple pie and stated, ?This tastes different than my apple pie. I don?t like it as much.?

What do you do?

You could choose to get upset at your mother-in-law or to take the high road and avoid any further conversation on this. If you were to choose to get upset and ruminate about the comment, you are only wasting your own time. You end up getting more upset the more you think about it. But who does this serve in the end? You end with the holidays passing by in a daze. You aren?t managing your own mind.

5 Mindful Hacks to Manage Holiday Emotions

1. Practice Self-Awareness

Be aware of what people, things or events make you irritated. Are you aware of your triggers? It could be your in-laws, your cousin or any other family member. When you know what your triggers are, you are more likely to not react. You can journal daily to be in touch with your thoughts and feelings.

2. Make Self-Care A Priority

Take time out for yourself during the holidays. You should continue your workout regimen or start a new one! You can go for a short walk during daily to get away. You can spend time with people who ACTUALLY ARE FUN TO BE AROUND!

3. Avoid Overindulging

Don?t buffer or avoid feeling a certain way by eating too much or drinking too much. It?s easy to reach for another piece of pie or another glass of wine to avoid feeling overwhelmed or annoyed. But really eating that extra piece of pie won?t help you in the end. You will feel guilty and beat yourself up for eating that extra piece of pie. When you allow yourself to feel that negative emotion, you serve yourself more. The feeling will eventually pass.

4. Practice Gratitude

We often perseverate on what we don?t have or how things didn?t go the way we wanted. This however leads to more irritation. You can be thankful for your good health or for having a holiday meal. Our mood improves when we focus on what WE HAVE rather that what WE DONT HAVE.

5. Manage Your Expectations

We often think the holidays will go a certain way or we want everything to be perfect! We can?t control the weather, how other people act or what they say. Rather than stressing about things you can?t control, look at these mishaps as ways to exercise flexibility and resilience. These mishaps could even become fond memories!

Try to practice these 5 Mindful Hacks to Manage your Holiday Emotions!

Happy New Year!