Shopping for gifts, making plans, hosting dinners, attending parties, cooking, cleaning, and preparations of all sorts go hand in hand with the holiday season. As fun as it is, it can also be a stressful time as we try to juggle our regularly scheduled program with the added festivities.
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to minimize the stress:
Take advantage of down time. If you watch television in the evening, keep a pad handy to make notes during commercials. Staying organized helps fight stress.
Pare down. Sometimes we can learn to be a little less hard on ourselves and not overdo it. We can practice simplifying. For example, instead of buying several small gifts, we can buy one or two larger gifts. Gift certificates allow gift receivers to make decisions and can take some of the pressure off too.
Practice awareness. Take a few deep breaths before entering that parking lot or store. Remembering why we are doing what we are doing helps keep our spirits up. Don’t sweat the little things like finding a parking space, or losing a parking space. It helps to maintain perspective. I tell myself this: there’s no one still waiting for a space from last year — so everyone must have made it!
Make time to take time. It doesn’t help to wear yourself thin. Try to get enough rest, eat healthfully, and keep a sense of humor. Mind, body and spirit are one. So, if you feed yourself, you will be better equipped to deal with the inherently hectic nature of the season.
Extra time is a bonus of using the measures suggested above. You can take advantage of the extra space created to treat yourself to a stress-busting activity like having a facial or a massage. Afterwards, you will be calmer and better able to deal with last minute situations and all the running around that seems unavoidable this time of year. All in all, if we insert a few preventative measures, we can ease a little bit of the stress and smile a whole lot more. Happy-est of holidays to all!
