www.kathleenokeefekanavos.com Did you ever consider that you are more likely to have nightmares during the holiday season?1 It’s true, and these notso-welcome gifts can be a curse and a blessing, wrapped up as happy childhood memories and stressful reunion overload. As Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve are so close together, three common themes of anxiety dreams are family reunions, grief and being unprepared. Family reunion dreams are one of our worst nightmares because they may bring up buried emotions, especially when a loved one is missing, adding the element of grief. The dreamer may remember smells and hear voices and sounds. The dream may feel so real that the dreamer searches for the person, forgetting their loved one is gone. Holidays become more sentimental as we age, so long-forgotten emotions frequently resurface. However, for some, grief dreams can bring a feeling of love and peace. In these instances, the dreamer may see their loved one in the distance waving or mouthing, “I love you,” as I did after the death of my mother. Feeling unprepared is another common holiday dream. It includes forgetting gifts and finding stores closed. Another is hosting a party and realizing nothing is prepared; you are at the store with no money, can't remember where you live and can't get home before guests arrive. Anxiety dreams about travel include missed flights, being stranded in storms or losing your car. Cars in dreams represent us. When we lose our car, we feel lost and stranded, in life and in our dreams. Here are tips to help overcome anxiety dreams around the holiday: • Create a bedtime routine like reading, deep breathing exercises or meditation to reduce stress before sleep. • Make a plan. Write down your worries and how to overcome them. • Write a to-do list early in the evening to clear your mind and help you feel prepared for the next day. • Set an intention like, “I will have a positive sweet dream tonight,” and write it in your dream journal. Anxiety and stress can create illness.2 Replace anxiety-filled dreams with sugar plum fairies by reminding yourself that holidays are more than gifts, reunions and to-do lists. Choose to focus on connections, kindness and making meaningful, loving memories. This year, embrace the holidays with happiness, and may all your dreams bring you joy and good health. Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos of Rancho Mirage is a survivor, author, dream expert, speaker and TV/radio host/producer, and has been featured on Dr. Oz, The Doctors, and The UnXplained. Her new book “Dreams That Can Save Your Life” is available now. For more information, visit www.KathleenOkeefeKanavos.com. References: 1) https://www.healthdigest.com/1436428/most-common-bad-dream-during-holiday-season-grief/; 2) https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-disorders/symptoms/feel-ill-and-sick/ www.DesertHealthNews.com November/December 2026 Family, grief and unpreparedness are common holiday dream themes. Natural Options The Valley's Leading Resource for Health and Wellness 12 www.hfhcv.org www.humineral.com If your cells are healthy, your body is healthy. A wellness company focused on cellular health. Living food nutrients in supplement form. Youth to adult. Quality humic/fulvic acid mineral food supplementation to help repair and replenish. www.humineral.com 818.400.7657 | info@humineral.com Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble Learn more at www.KathleenOKeefeKanavos.com Larry Burk, MD of Duke University School of Medicine and Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos, dream expert and three-time breast cancer survivor whose dreams diagnosed her cancer, share their cutting-edge research on precognitive dreams, journaling, interpretation, survival and faith. Showcasing the important role of dreams and their power to detect and heal illness THAT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE DREAMS — 2023 Nautilus Award Winner — Also published in Italian and Chinese Overcoming Holiday Anxiety Dreams By Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, “Why on earth did I say that?” Or have you replayed an embarrassing experience so many times you wanted to disappear? I certainly have — more times than I’d like to admit! Looking back, many of my regrets weren’t about what happened, but how I allowed circumstances, emotions and old beliefs to dictate my reactions. I judged, defended, blamed and occasionally perfected the art of being a victim. Understanding myself? That wasn’t even on my radar. Then came a day I was so distraught that I accepted help from a spiritual advisor. In his office, I explained everything wrong with my life and everyone responsible, including God. He listened, then asked, “Who are you, young lady, to have the audacity to blame God for your misfortune?” My brain never made it past the first five words: Who are you, young lady? Who am I? I had never really considered that question. For perhaps the first time, I stopped looking outside myself and began looking within. Then came another question that changed my perspective: “Instead of asking why everything is happening to you, have you considered asking why it might be happening for you?” What if my experiences weren’t simply happening to me, but teaching me about me? That was the beginning of my journey into self-reflection. Self-reflection is the conscious practice of examining our experiences, emotions, beliefs and behaviors to discover insights we can apply to our future. It’s how experience becomes learning, learning becomes self-awareness, and awareness opens the door to self-love and self-evolution. A simple process involves three questions: • WHAT? What happened? What did I think, feel, say or do? • SO WHAT? Why did it matter? What emotions, beliefs or judgments were influencing me? • NOW WHAT? What wisdom can I take forward? What might I release, change or choose differently? These questions helped me recognize patterns, question limiting beliefs and transform reactions into more conscious responses. Perhaps my greatest discovery was learning the difference between saying, “I made a mistake,” and “I am a mistake.” I had spent much of my life believing the latter. One statement invites learning; the other reinforces judgment. Through my journey, I have learned to create moments of silence; to breathe and listen within. Instead of condemning myself, I began asking, “Why might this be happening for me, and what can I learn?” Each morning offers an opportunity to ask, “How do I want to show up today?” Each evening offers a chance to reflect on what went well, who I appreciate, what I learn, and what I might choose differently tomorrow. Self-reflection isn’t about perfection. It’s about discovering who we are beneath our habits, judgments, fears and limiting beliefs. Regret can become reflection. Reflection can become understanding. Understanding can open the door to self-forgiveness, self-love and an entirely new way of living. When we change how we see ourselves, we expand how we experience life — and who we are becoming. Tracy Smith is an energy medicine practitioner, author and creator of InnerQue and can be reached at tracy.blissfulrelease@gmail.com. www.blissfulreleasenow.com. Is Regret the Greatest Teacher? From regret to reflection, redemption and regeneration By Tracy Smith
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