MENTAL HEALTH HACKS AND COACHING TOOLS
Calm the Thanksgiving Stress: Tips for Managing Anxiety and Anger
Yes, it is possible to feel Gratitude in the Chaos of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving can feel like the Olympics of emotional triggers, especially if you're someone who battles generalized anxiety.
Maybe it’s the expectation to feel joy when you’re managing all the hospitality tasks.
Maybe it’s how you want to enjoy the company but feel on edge with detected you-know-who’s judgemental microexpressions.
Or it's not even it’s the physical toll of showing up for everyone after a short but intense week at work (maybe even extra school events)—with the persistent tension in your upper back, or the fatigue that seems to settle into your bones.
You’re not alone in this. Many of us feel the stress bubbling beneath the surface, making it hard to truly relax.
But here’s the thing: none of this is a surprise to you.
That’s good news in a way because we can prepare for these moments. Just like we train for the big challenges in life, we can train for Thanksgiving too—not to win, but to simply get through it with more ease and less frustration.
Coping with Holiday Stress with a Plan
If you’re reading this far, you’re looking for tips so you're on the right track.
1. What are you responding to?
If you’ve noticed Thanksgiving brings out that sense of overwhelm, start by identifying what tends to send your anxiety spiraling.
Consider sensory reasons for feeling on edge:
Is it the chaos of too many people talking at once, music and football game?
Is it having to hear people chew and speak at the same time?
Is perfectionism creeping up in some ways:
The fear of saying or doing the “wrong” thing?
Pressure to look like you have it all together?
Search for ways to improve in self responsibility:
How do you respond to the most annoying person in the room?
How do you contribute to the overwhelm this week?
Once you know your triggers, you can create a plan to create more calm moments.
2. How will you respond?
The reality is that Thanksgiving is around the corner so not much is in your control to change. Therefore, we are going to respond with small practices that can be repeated.
The Power of Small Practices
Anchor Yourself: When you feel anxiety rising, focus on your breath to use grounding techniques. Notice something you can see, something you can touch, and something you can hear. This simple reset helps bring you back to the present moment while forcing you to stop the momentum of a ruminating thought.
Set Boundaries Ahead of Time: If family dynamics are a source of tension, plan ahead for how much time you’ll spend and what topics you’ll engage in. Plan to politely redirect a conversation or step away either entirely or for a moment to regroup. Remember that a boundary is not an ultimatum. You are preplanning an ‘if/then’ option for yourself.
Let Go of Perfection: Thanksgiving doesn’t have to look like a picture-perfect holiday card. You don’t have to say that you love work. Your children don’t have to be immune to sugar crashes. It’s okay if things go sideways— roll with it. Give yourself permission to be human.
3. How will you recover?
With gratitude, of course.
It is no secret that gratitude has a profoundly positive effect on recovering from stressful situations.
Gratitude isn’t about pretending everything is perfect or ignoring the hard stuff.
Gratitude is easier to feel in reflection moments. It is easier when we extend grace to people who are flawed.
Gratitude can become less about obligation and more about empowerment when you are working on your anxiety and irritability.
Training for Life Beyond Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is just one storm in a lifetime. By making this a practice now, you’re building the resilience to navigate anxiety, not just during the holidays but in everyday life.
It’s about being proactive, recognizing your patterns, and giving yourself grace when things feel hard.
Because at the end of the day, finding gratitude isn’t about forcing a feeling—it’s about choosing calm over chaos, even if that choice needs to be made over and over again.
And that’s something worth celebrating.
How to Conquer Your Self Sabotage and Become Happier
How Being a Rebellious Rebel is Ruining Your Happiness
Each and everyone of us has some steel in us (some more than others). However, there are those of us who either consciously or unconsciously double down on that “hardness”. If you’re someone that is concerned with becoming successful and wants to experience success in all of its fullness AND haven’t yet, then chances are this is the reason why.
Since success is subjective, our ability to attract and deflect it lies solely on how we begin to understand what being successful actually means to us specifically. Some people may feel success can be as simple as being happy you opened your eyes to see another day. For others, it could mean financial security.
Whatever people’s own personal success definition is, one thing is for certain, it is their individual responsibility to take the necessary steps to receive it and become the person who can.
“Get Rich or Die Tryin'' was the title to the debut studio album released by rapper 50 Cent back in 2003. Considering the financial success of the empire he has built, this title alludes to his motivation on delivering on that mantra (as do many others).
Get rich = make the type of money that exceeds the norm
Die trying = the pursuit of the goal before death comes for you
Is the point of life to get rich? Is that what he means? Or is it a means to create more opportunities for yourself and others while you can?
A physical death is inevitable and awaits for us all. A mental, emotional and spiritual death can be had while still breathing! Many of us do an exceptional job at building up walls keeping success from us. If this happens to be you, you may be conducting an act of unconscious rebellion.
REBELLION. TO REBEL. TO RESIST. SURVIVE!
Every living thing on the planet is wired for survival. Even something as small as a gnat looks to escape being killed by a swatting hand. As human beings, our survival instincts (fight or flight mechanisms) can be used in inappropriate ways and sometimes, we can live life just like a bug.
Getting out of the way of a car so as not to get hit is a reflex, just like a gnat who does the Ali shuffle around your floundering hand. No thinking involved, just reaction.
How annoying would it be to have to always escape danger? It’s anxiety provoking and in order to NOT have to feel anxious all the time, building an attitude of resistance is the next best thing and more prepared we are. We build a reflex to win quickly so that we can carry on.
Ever try having a conversation and a gnat starts doing it’s gnat thing, being super annoying, like the silent “G” in its name.
Buzz. Swat. Whiff. Ignore.
Buzz. Swat. Whiff. Kind of ignored.
Buzz. SWAT. WHIFF. WTfuhhhhhhh!?
Ok, this is getting out of hand, and now you are faced with a choice. Respond by wiping off your sweat, moving to another spot, etc or react and focus on the KILL!
KILLING IS MY BUSINESS LADIES AND BIZZ.NESS. IS. GOOD! (tell me you know what line that movie is from!!!!)
What a scene! Two gangsters going hard at each other. Who wins? Who reached success? Who knows? All that I know is that little encounter, to me, symbolizes the Get Rich or Die Trying mantra.
Success is a FEELING and the things that make you FEEL successful (I killed the gnat, I get to end the annoyance AND I get to stay right where I prefer to stay on my terms) is the goal (until the next gnat comes along because, you know, insects in the summer).
So how do we keep KILLING our own success? How do we keep whiffing on the feeling we REALLY want to feel?
By remaining AND relying on our basic instincts influence a majority of our decisions. Fight or Flight. The role of the Victim or The REBEL!
The REBELLIOUS REBEL
What are the characteristics of the rebellious rebel type? It’s someone who loves control. It’s someone who thinks with a “conflict consciousness”. They feel STRONGLY. They believe that the majority of their actions are justified. They love living on “their terms”. Being super authentic is their jam and something they take pride in.
Rebellious Rebels are concerned with being right and WINNING (but at the expense of someone, something else losing). They can’t fathom ever being wrong, because if they were to acknowledge they are, they would feel defenseless, scared, and controlled. They say what people want to hear but do ONLY what they want.
Sounds like an annoying person right? Sound like you? Sound like someone you know? Sound like it could be you in isolated instances?
Everyone is or has been a rebellious rebel at some point and in some parts of their life and presents in challenges with their:
Weight management and health, time management, communication style, inability to foster collaboration, finishing projects, staying consistent and organized, paying bills on time, being intimate, developing or staying is a loving relationship, commitment issues, the list goes on and on and on.
The rebellious rebel is very much the opposite of its counterpart (the purrty little people pleaser). The “R.R” is not concerned with backing down or avoiding and running away from a fight! Nope, conflict is how they roll (and even how they prefer to get to the truth). Self - sacrificing and putting themselves last NOT cool, even if they do it for a bit.
A rebellious rebel LOVES “keeping it real”.
“Real'' familiar that is. The land of the familiar is a place the R.R. loves to play. My way has and always will be “the right way” despite the messaging I am getting from the outside world or even my own body!
If you never were able to get into the body you wanted, despite multiple efforts, there is a high probability you have become familiar with “disappointment”. Therefore you may “resist” against finding another way of getting fit and staying committed long enough to produce the outcome you seek.
Get Fit or Die Tryin’.
If you are someone who struggled for a large portion of your life and had to “fight” for everything you have, there is a high probability you may identify with NEEDING things to be hard, challenging and chaotic so you can bring your “best stuff” and feel “successful”.
Get Tough or Die Tryin’
If you never were able to make the kind of money you want despite all of your efforts, there is a high probability that you might become familiar with “struggle and frustration” thus you take certain actions (and inactions) that attract those situations.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
Living in the familiar can work for AND against you. If you are familiar with ease, peace, and what it takes to experience those feelings, then life is HIGH ENERGY. Adversely, if you are familiar with frustration, anger, and feeling misunderstood, then the results of that LOW ENERGY will award you with being the “Undisputed, Undefeated, Rebellious Champion of the WORLLLLLD!”
TIME TO REMOVE YOUR EMOTIONAL CHAOS AND KILL YOUR REBEL
Stop acting like you have it all together! It’s ok to accept that you aren't perfect and there is work to do. Persist eliminating your resistance.
Your philosophy on how you do things isn’t working as well as you want it to. If you do not have…..
Your money where you want it to be
Deeply connected relationships
A calm and relaxed mindset
A sense of relaxation and ease
Faith that things will work out
The ability to start and finish projects
In the healthiest body you could be in
A sense of playfulness and overall joyful temperament
A sense of direction to where your life is going
A real sense of self and high self-esteem
More productive days verse busy days
A flexible mindset that allows you to learn and adapt
…...then I suggest instead of searching for success, put your focus on the walls you built up around allowing success to find you!
In order to end the chaos YOU create internally AND externally, start learning how to kill your REBEL by doing the following:
NAME YOUR LITTLE B### (brat that is)
Since blame is the name of the game of the rebellious rebel, taking personal responsibility may be difficult (at first). So in order to make the first baby steps towards “owning it”, blame the part of you that resists doing what it takes to feel what real success is for you.
Ex: For someone who feels as if they have a million things to do and is overwhelmed BUT refuses to write things down and COMMIT to getting organized because their BRAT prefers to “wing-it”, call the BRAT out by its name.
Hey (insert brat’s name)! STOP! You are not helping me here. I no longer need your coaching and philosophy. I am currently in the process of becoming more organized and present. I am pursuing focused on what it feels like to be calm.
IDENTIFY WHAT SUCCESS FEELS LIKE TO YOU
As I mentioned earlier. Success is a feeling, nothing more. Since feelings can be experienced before a tangible, scalable end goal is met, it’s important to determine what are the specific FEELINGS you want to experience each and every day.
I have a client who is very successful financially. He is able to do this through hard work, dedication, and the willingness to WIN. His challenge was in the way he was going about his success.
He had built up a tremendous defense system against ever being controlled (his unconscious fear). Therefore, one of his strengths was his ability to create compelling arguments based on facts. Being a very intelligent person, he relied on his logic and the proven systems and logic of others to come to his conclusions. Therefore, he could never be wrong.
The thing is though, in relationships, especially intimate ones, logic seldom trumps LOVE (and we all know how illogical love can be).
So a large portion of our work together was learning how to be “happy” versus being “right” and speaking more from his heart than his head FIRST. He learned how to rely on using his logic to impact a financial bottom line in business, and his heart to impact his EMOTIONAL bottom line in his relationships.
LET IT GO AND LET IT FLOW
There is a path to prosperity and abundance of positive emotional well being. Check out the bulleted points below.
Absolute Passion -7
Joy - 6
Peace - 5
Compassion - 4
Forgiveness - 3
Anger - 2
Apathy - 1
From 1 - 7 you may be able to notice the difference in ENERGY that each word holds with number 1 & 2 being signifying low emotional energy. If you are confused as to why “anger” is considered a low energy word, it is because it contains a low energetic vibe (even if it feels empowering because of its lack of sustainability).
The word “forgiveness” in the third slot is the first level at which you can begin to create some sustainability and “breathing” room in your mind and body.
All words 4 - 7 are where the “good life” lives. It's where connection, empathy, intuition, opportunity, creativity, collaboration, purpose, presence, and THE MONEY is!
Read through the words again and imagine the times you experienced each emotion. What were you thinking? What were you doing? Who were you doing it with? What else comes up?
If you are experiencing LESS of the words in purple, then my friend, you are rebelling against generating those feelings by living in the red words AND even the BLUE word.
EVEN the blue word, FORGIVENESS, how? Although being able to forgive allows you to move away from resistance and away from harboring resentment, blame, anger and feelings of entitlement, the energetic vibration of forgiveness can leave the door of toleration and complacency open.
Forgiveness is a GREAT beginning, but not the end. Create an energy of forgiveness so you can let GO of the people who you feel traumatized by. Learn to use forgiveness to break from your resentment, fear and struggle. Use it to break your addiction to the feeling of disappointment and 100% use it to break free from your rejection issues (even the ones you prevented to never feel as you observed how others got rejected).
STEP INTO REALITY AND LEAVE FANTASY ISLAND
It can be a real wake up call to take ownership. Realizing you always have had the ability to make each and every decision prior to, during, and after the fact of any event can be scary. It can also be LIBERATING!
Ask yourself these questions.
Did I come into my relationship with the secret expectation of my significant getting my needs met?
Where do I choose conflict in my life? With whom?
Where do I create chaos in my life?
How often do I expect people to have the ability to read my mind so I don’t have to articulate myself?
On a scale of 1-10, how patient am I?
How much do I expect others to be exactly like me?
How addicted am I to drama, really?
Where has jealousy helped me “test” if someone actually loves me?
How often do I allow my challenges with abandonment to make me be nice and kind, even when I don’t want (so I can make sure they never leave me)?
Why do I prefer to believe the lie that working in crisis mode makes me bring my best stuff?
Where am I being inauthentic?
What would happen if I reallocated my focus away from win/loss scenarios?
Why do I resent people?
What aspects of others do I absolutely despise and how do they mirror those aspects in me?
Where has FOMO (the fear of missing out) become more important than producing results that will give me the life I deserve?
If you resonate with any of those questions and really take the time to answer them in a journal, congrats! You are in the process of awareness and forgiveness!
That’s amazing! Not even kidding! Listen, you are an amazing person. You got the goods, the juice. You have the ability to “kill your master, aka, the REBELLIOUS REBEL inside of you. You can absolutely become a success RIGHT NOW if you choose to. Will it take work? Absolutely! Will it be worth it? Absolutely!
I would love to hear from you. If you want to ever have a serious conversation about what possibilities await for you when you address some of the challenges mentioned above so that you can experience more connections, harmony, peace, presence, and purpose in your life email me at chris@coachingandcounslingct.com .
When you do, please put in the subject heading “Want a Powerful Conversation”. I will reach back out within 48 hours.
In the interim, if you have Facebook, hit me with a friend request so you can get more access to my stuff.
https://www.facebook.com/christophermichaeljackson
Peace and Blessings friend!
~ Coach Chris