the christmas thrival guide

The tree's up. The presents are wrapped. The parties are in full swing.

And no doubt everywhere you look you're seeing articles like "The Christmas Survival Guide". Here's the thing. Christmas can either be a time when you fight to survive or you rise and thrive. I don't want you to merely survive. You're not in battle, after all, lovely soul. I want you to thrive and relish every moment of this festive period.

So I have some pointers and tips on how you can thrive during this festive season...

(The first pointer - don't read anything that implies "surviving" the Christmas period. That stuff will suck you right down and spit you out, feeling exhausted, before you even finish reading it!)

Let's thrive together this Christmas!

Tip #1: Safeguard Your Energy - Bubble Up

You may have noticed that the shops are a little busier at this time of year. They may even seem a bit louder with so many people hustling to get the gifts and food they want for Christmas. And this can mean there's a lot more energy floating around you. Energy that can impact your own aura and energy field. Energy that can leave you feeling a bit more tired than usual. And when you're feeling tired because you're bustling your way through all the crowds, then you're not thriving. And I want you to thrive this festive season, lovely soul.

So what should you do? Grin and bear it? Put a brave face on and just go for it? Absolutely not!

Here's the thing. Unless you decide to do absolutely everything online, you're going to have to take on the crowds. So let's get you prepared, energetically. It's so simple, it's so quick and, quite honestly, you'll be glad you spent a few minutes doing this before heading out.

My first tip is to bubble up and get grounded.

What I mean by bubbling up is surrounding your aura and energy field with a bubble of white light energy that will only allow positive and high vibrational energy to enter through it. High vibrations and positive energy are good so you want to let them to come in through your bubble. Low vibrational and negative energies will make you tired and will put a quick halt to your ability to thrive. That's what we want to keep out.

When you're grounded, you feel centred and in control, as if your feet are firmly rooted into the ground like a strong tree. It takes a lot more than a breeze of energy to tip you over and, so, gives you that little bit more added resilience when taking on the crowds.

To create your bubble and ground yourself (this is a 2-in-1 tip) all you need to do is:

• close your eyes and stand tall
• take a few deep breaths, breathing in through your nose expanding your stomach outwards, and out through your mouth allowing your stomach to push all the air out
• imagine lovely roots growing out of the soles of your feet and down into the centre of Mother Earth
• as the roots hold you strong and steadfast, imagine a bubble surrounding you and your aura
• the bubble can be filled with any colour, whichever colour pops into your mind first
• keeping your eyes closed, repeat the following affirmation out loud: "Today and all day, I surround myself in a bubble of light. Only high vibrational and positive energy may enter into my bubble"
• open your eyes and enjoy your day in the knowledge that your energy is safe and protected

Do this everyday and if you're going out in the evening and want to reinforce your bubble, just repeat the bubble-up steps above.

Tip #2: Safeguard Your Energy - Protective Crystals

If you're like me and have a few (that's an understatement!) crystals lying around, or have access to crystals nearby that you can buy, then I recommend you carry a couple of crystals in your pocket (or bag) when you're out and about. If you carry them in your pocket, they're easy access for times when you may need a little added reassurance and comfort when amongst crowds. All you need to do is reach in and give them a little rub.

The best crystals to carry are those which are often referred to as 'protective stones'. My preference is pyrite (fool's gold). Other options include fire agate, amber, amethyst, cat's eye, bloodstone, jade, jasper, jet, kunzite, labradorite, malachite, obsidian, tiger's eye, turquoise.

I also like to carry my 'happy stone', Chalcopyrite (or Peacock's Ore) which is a tonic stone. It lifts low energy and raises vitality.

If you are planning to carry crystals around with you to further safeguard your aura and energy, make sure that you have cleansed and charged your crystals beforehand. If you already have your crystal of choice but haven't touched or used it for a month or more, it'll need recharging. If you buy yourself a crystal, you'll want to cleanse it of any energy it may have picked up on its way to you, and charge it.

Ideally, you should cleanse and charge your crystals outside, under the full moon each month (except those crystals ending in '-ite' which can dissolve or become toxic if they become wet). If you've missed the full moon, then you can simpy get a small flower pot, put in some fresh soil (don't add water) and bury your crystal just below the surface. Leave for 24 hours.

Tip #3: If everything just gets a bit too much

We all know that time spent with family and friends over the Christmas period is precious and to be enjoyed. However sometimes, if you're like me, too much time spent in other people's company can become a bit overwhelming and stressful.

When you're feeling overwhelmed and stress, your body naturally goes into fight or flight mode. This means that the blood is being drawn away from your upper body and concentrated in areas which you would need, should you choose to punch someone (fight) or run away really fast (flight)... or both.

If you're at the point where an encounter with a friend or family member is getting close to a punch out, then lovely soul, you're not thriving this Christmas. You're trying to survive... and even that looks like it won't be successful!

If you're at the stage where you just want to run away and hide in a corner so you can be by yourself, again, lovely soul, you're not thriving.

So what should you do? How can you nip it in the bud and turn the situation around really fast before things become very un-festive?

I picked up this little trick from Energy Medicine Expert, Donna Eden. Here's what you need to do:

• stand on the ground, feet hip-width apart
• close your eyes
• place the palm of your first hand on your forehead
• place the palm of your other hand on the back of your hand in roughly the same area as the first, front palm
• take a few deep breaths, breathing in through your nose expanding your stomach outwards, and out through your mouth allowing your stomach to push all the air out
• repeat the deep breathing a few more times
• remove your hands and open your eyes

What this does is draw the blood back to your head after your body has entered the fight or flight mode.

Tip #4: Being around "challenging" family and friends

As much as we all love being around our family and friends, or getting into the swing of the work's Christmas party with our colleagues, there may be times when we create energetic links with a person or situation which really don't serve us.

This isn't something you'll feel or see happening at the time as energy is (mostly) invisible to the naked eye. However it may be something that you feel the impact of a day or so after. For example you may feel really tired (not just from the partying), you may feel a bit blasé and suddenly uninterested in all the festivities around you, you may find yourself going over and over a situation or what someone said to you in your mind (in not a very positive way).

So this tip is all about being proactive rather than reactive. Let's ensure you enjoy your get-togethers and parties without them draining you energetically. And that means cleansing your aura and cutting energetic cords after every gathering.

Here's what to do:

• close your eyes and stand tall with your feet hip-width apart
• take a few deep breaths, breathing in through your nose expanding your stomach outwards, and out through your mouth allowing your stomach to push all the air out
• imagine lovely roots growing out of the soles of your feet and grounding you down into the centre of Mother Earth
• imagine yourself standing under a waterfall where the water washes over you, gently and lovingly yet thoroughly, washing over your body and through your body
• see the water coloured violet, representing the violet flame (spiritual energy)
• as it washes over you and through you, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet, picture it washing away any energy that's not your own, that may be attached to you
• ask the violet flame to wash and cleanse each of your chakras (energy centres), from your crown chakra to your root chakra
• picture the violet flame washing the energy down to and through the soles of you feet, down through the roots, and deep into Mother Earth
• use your intution to feel when your energy has received sufficient cleansing from the violet flame
• allow the waterfall to stop flowing and thank the violet flame
• ask Archangel Michael to step forward and cut any cords that may be linking you to anyone else
• picture Archangel Michael cutting through cords that travel out from the centre of your chest (heart chakra) connecting you with any others, with his sword; easily cutting through the cords like they're ribbons
• after Archangel Michael has cut through the cords, if you feel there are still some cords remaining or not fully cut, ask Archangel to cut through the remaining cords
• use your intuition to know when all cords linking your energy and aura to another have been cut
• thank Archangel Michael
• slowly bring your awareness back to your body and open your eyes
• repeat this ritual every evening

Tip #5: Needing a quick boost of energy

My final tip is when you just need a quick boost of energy. When you get that afternoon-slump feeling after a heavy Christmas dinner or too much relaxing and overdosing on Christmas movies, and you want something that picks you up instantly and keeps you going for the rest of the afternoon, feeling revitalised.

This is another tip I picked up courtesy of Energy Medicine Expert, Donna Eden.

• stand on the ground, feet hip-width apart
• close your eyes
• take a deep breath in through your nose
• place the palm of your left hand on your right shoulder and press gently downwards
• as you breathe out deeply through your mouth, gently drag your left hand diagonally across your body to the left hip
• take another deep breath in through your nose
• this time, place the palm of your right hand on your left shoulder and press gently downwards
• as you breathe out deeply through your mouth, gently drag your right hand diagonally across your body to the right hip
• repeat a couple more times on each shoulder
• open your eyes

 

Christmas is a special time of the year; a time to cherish with loved ones and close friends; a time to let your hair down, party and feel free. So use my energy tips so you can make the very best of this festive season; to truly thrive instead of merely surviving.

May you and those you hold dear have a truly special Christmas.

Viv xx