Stress is a silent killer that affects us more during the holidays than during any other time of the year. Your body’s ability to adapt to and recover from stress is the primary determinant of both the length and quality of your life – and how to better enjoy the holidays.
With holiday shopping and gifts, many of us grip tightly onto things that don’t matter, and we lose what is truly valuable – our most precious asset – our health. The solution? Generosity. Generosity is an attitude that will take you to a place of spiritual rest and homeostasis – a place of contentment that few humans achieve.
Why do we hang on to so many things that no longer serve us? Fear. We are afraid to let go of them because that would be unfamiliar, and uncomfortable; and because we have been holding on to them for so long that we can’t remember what it feels like to let go. Here is the secret: When we live life with open hands instead of clenched hands, we learn that there is tremendous abundance in the world – more than enough for everyone on this planet.
The secret to happiness is contentment, and the secret to contentment is to actively believe that what we have is more than enough. Holiday gifts? Plenty. Your mate? Attractive enough. Your house? Big enough. Your kids? Smart enough. Your car? New enough. And on and on.
Go through the inventory of your life each day and remind yourself that everything in it is a gift! As we begin to live this way, we find that giving to others is really not difficult. If someone is hungry, we provide food. If they are thirsty, we give them a drink. If they are lonely, we befriend them. If they are grieving, we comfort them. If they are down and out, we help them get up and in. We always share because we know that we live in a universe that is run by spiritual laws of abundance that were set in motion before we were ever born.
When we begin to live this way, we will be above the petty annoyances and concerns of life. When we wake up every day knowing that it is a gift we do not deserve, we will look around for other things for which to be grateful. As our gratitude increases, our joy increases. As our joy increases, our cells begin to vibrate at a higher energy level. As our cells vibrate at this higher energy level, they throw off toxins and attract the same level of energy. Good things begin to come into our lives.
This is the essence of the healthy, happy life: realizing the abundance all around us, being actively grateful for that abundance, sharing that abundance with others, while we ourselves are being blessed with contentment, joy, and peace this holiday season.
Guest Post by Dr. Pete Sulack, founder of Unhealthy Anonymous
