I almost lost it over Brussels sprouts

'Alex, these Brussels sprouts are burned. You left them in for too long!'

'No, YOU were supposed to be watching them!'

I storm out, slamming the door.

This would have been me years ago at a family Christmas.

I'm at home to celebrate a little early this year. I like to avoid traveling around the crazy Christmas rush.

There were plenty of moments this week where old Alex would have lost it.

Kitchen chaos and frayed tempers. Someone panicking over the temperature settings on the air fryer.

Years ago, their frustration would have become my frustration. I'd get easily annoyed.

I’d say something completely unwarranted that I'd regret.

Then come down and sheepishly apologise later.

But this week, I wasn't fussed by moments like these.

And this isn’t because I ‘manage’ my frustration with breathing exercises or affirmations.

I don’t get pulled in.

I catch the feelings that erupt from thoughts like: ‘I wish they'd lighten up, it’s just a bloody air-fryer,’ and see it for what it is.

Just a thought, and not a major crisis requiring my stern intervention.

There’s nothing specific I need to do these days to stay calm.

I just let it pass, to be replaced by the next moment.

This approach activates my curiosity, rather than my angry side.

This is so much easier when you understand the true nature of psychological stress.

Most people think stress comes from the situation, like burnt sprouts, family tension, and holiday pressure.

It doesn't.

Stress comes from taking our stressful thoughts seriously.

When I internalised this, my family Christmases became events I actually look forward to.

When I saw stressful thoughts as just thoughts rather than truths, I stopped seeing the point of getting angry.

If you want to navigate the rest of the holidays (and life) without constantly battling your own thoughts, Untethered Mind shows you how.

We do this, not through clever tactics, but through a process of internalising a fresh understanding of how thoughts work.

Absorb these insights, and you might be surprised by how naturally your stress dissolves.

Learn more here.

Alex