Reclaim Your Agency this Holiday Season
Choose meaning over obligation by letting go of six hidden pressures that keep us stuck
Reclaim Your Agency this Holiday Season
It’s so easy to spend the holidays doing what is expected of you, following along with what everyone else wants and then feeling rather flat when it’s all over. This course will help you to check that how you’re spending the holiday season is in line with your values and has meaning for you.
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Why is reclaiming our agency necessary?
For large parts of Europe, the Holiday Season has come to dominate our attention. It starts with Black Friday promotions around the end of October, stretches through Cyber Monday on 1 December and into New Year and the January Sales. Each year it seems to last longer. We’re swamped by visions of the sort of holidays we think we want but do we take the time to stop and consider if this is really how we want to celebrate the end of the year?
For large parts of Europe, the Holiday Season has come to dominate our attention. It starts with Black Friday promotions around the end of October, stretches through Cyber Monday on 1 December and into New Year and the January Sales. Each year it seems to last longer. We’re swamped by visions of the sort of holidays we think we want but do we take the time to stop and consider if this is really how we want to celebrate the end of the year?
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Pressure Point 1: Expectations
The first pressure point we’ll look into is our expectations for the holidays. On some level, we tend to mix up childhood memories, what we long for, impressions we’ve gathered about how we think the holidays should be. We weave it all together to create a fantasy for a perfect holiday season which we then exhaust ourselves trying to achieve.
The first pressure point we’ll look into is our expectations for the holidays. On some level, we tend to mix up childhood memories, what we long for, impressions we’ve gathered about how we think the holidays should be. We weave it all together to create a fantasy for a perfect holiday season which we then exhaust ourselves trying to achieve.
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Pressure Point 2: Social Comparison
Our brains are programmed to compare ourself to others and social media feeds that tendency. Added to that is our fear of missing out and all the anxiety that entails. If we let this drive us, as we approach the holidays, then we can find ourselves investing it behaviour that does not reflect what we are actually looking for.
Our brains are programmed to compare ourself to others and social media feeds that tendency. Added to that is our fear of missing out and all the anxiety that entails. If we let this drive us, as we approach the holidays, then we can find ourselves investing it behaviour that does not reflect what we are actually looking for.
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Pressure Point 3: Money worries
Research indicates that each household will spend between €800,00 and 1.300,00 this holiday. there’s still a cost of living crisis going on and in the UK energy bills are threatening to increase. It’s a major pressure point. But are we spending this money in order to create an inspiring situation for ourselves, or are we following along on a well-trodden habit?
Research indicates that each household will spend between €800,00 and 1.300,00 this holiday. there’s still a cost of living crisis going on and in the UK energy bills are threatening to increase. It’s a major pressure point. But are we spending this money in order to create an inspiring situation for ourselves, or are we following along on a well-trodden habit?
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Pressure Point 4: Not enough time
Deciding how much time you want to devote to preparing for the holidays is your choice. It depends on all kinds of factors—your work, whether you have children at school, what else you have going on in your life. Once we allow ourselves to be caught up in the marketing frenzy, things are only going to get worse.
Deciding how much time you want to devote to preparing for the holidays is your choice. It depends on all kinds of factors—your work, whether you have children at school, what else you have going on in your life. Once we allow ourselves to be caught up in the marketing frenzy, things are only going to get worse.
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Pressure Point 5: family troubles
Gatherings of friends and family probably make up some of the activities that are important for you these holidays. We probably have memories of how things have become unpleasant, or annoying in the past. How can we decide on some new strategies this year?
Gatherings of friends and family probably make up some of the activities that are important for you these holidays. We probably have memories of how things have become unpleasant, or annoying in the past. How can we decide on some new strategies this year?
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Pressure point 6: your emotional climate
Often overlooked is how we are emotionally as we approach the holidays. What sort of year have we had? Are we facing the loss of anyone dear to us in the previous year, or a serious job loss? How is our health? Are we facing a lonely holiday season? It’s important to look into our own emotional climate in order to help us decide what is important to us over the holidays.
Often overlooked is how we are emotionally as we approach the holidays. What sort of year have we had? Are we facing the loss of anyone dear to us in the previous year, or a serious job loss? How is our health? Are we facing a lonely holiday season? It’s important to look into our own emotional climate in order to help us decide what is important to us over the holidays.
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Holding your ground
Having looked at the regular pressure points for this time of the year, it’s time to gather it all together and reflect on how we can put ourselves in the driver’s seat.
Having looked at the regular pressure points for this time of the year, it’s time to gather it all together and reflect on how we can put ourselves in the driver’s seat.
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