Stress Management for the Holidays
Is there such a possibility of stress management for the holidays? During the holiday season, there are often many additional activities that demand your attention. If you have kids, there are usually additional school activities. There is a house to be decorated, gifts to buy and special holiday treats to bake. Extended family members often gather for holiday celebrations. And then there is the continuous house clean up that is required in between the various family and friends’ visits. To make it through the season with your sanity intact, we suggest the following three tips. Watch overdoing things. When you are making plans for this year’s events, review past experiences so that coping with holiday stress can be easier to maneuver. We have always advocated simplifying wherever possible, and this includes reviewing your holiday gift giving strategies. Keep the holiday budget and your personal time constraints in mind as you are completing your gift list. If you don’t have time to make all of those crafty ideas you were considering, don’t make them a requirement for your gift giving strategy. And, if you are limited in your time for baking cookies, consider giving a container with the cookie ingredients inside so the recipient can make them at her leisure. Stress management for the holidays should focus on being realistic. Make time for charging your own batteries. You are usually the last person you consider throughout the year, and during the holiday season this perspective is amplified. You shop until you drop. You spend days baking in the kitchen and wonder why your back hurts. You worry about that extended holiday family gathering you host each year, hoping that there will be no embarrassing moments like you have experienced in the past. All of these activities take a toll on your emotional and physical stamina. If you have time you may want to practice the skills of respectful communication. Also this year, as you create your daily “to do” lists, pencil in time for yourself. If you can’t visit the spa, make time for a nice hot bath with some soothing music and candles. Make time to watch a movie just to unwind. Order from the take-out menu when you arrive home at the end of the day with not an idea of what you should prepare for dinner. Stress management for the holidays should include “me” time allowing you to rejuvenate your spirits and your tired feet. Follow the beat of your own drum. Who said you have to worry about what the neighbors think? Or your in-laws? Why not decide that this holiday season, your goal will be creating holiday traditions that reflect your family’s values and personality. Think about what matters most to your family and what values you are trying to instill in your children’s perspectives. Embrace traditions that are important for your family regardless of what the current holiday message may be on television, over the internet or among media celebrities. Remember this is your holiday season. The best memories come from events and occasions that have lasting value and personal meaning. Stress management for the holidays embraces a celebration of personal traditions and values. The holiday season arrives quickly before we are the slightest prepared and leaves before we have had time to digest the mounds of cookies, candies and leftover stuffing. This holiday season, step back from the frantic pace of trying to accomplish more than is humanly possible and decide for yourself what really matters. Simplify your holidays and focus on what really matters. Leave the rest of the stress to others. Stress management for the holidays is easier than you think. Stress Reducing Tips for the Holidays New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
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