It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Right? Depends on who you talk to. For some people the holiday season is two long months of stressful occasions with people dressed up in ugly Christmas sweaters, houses full of tacky blinking lights and an overabundance of food. Have no fear, I’m going to share five ways to beat holiday stress and make it to January 2nd smelling like a rose.
1. ‘No’ is not a four letter word-use it!—–Why over obligate yourself and be stressed, when you can simply say no? It’s okay. People do it all the time. Don’t have time to go to the staff Christmas party because your inbox is overflowing? Skip it. Don’t have time to make two dozen homemade sugar cookies for the church bake sale? Decline participation and give a monetary donation instead. Plenty of holiday stress can be avoided simply by giving yourself permission to say no!
2.Take care of yourself.—–For some of us the first thing to go whenever we are over taxed is us. Keep stress at bay by making yourself a priority. After all, this is a season of appreciation. Who better to appreciate than yourself? Stay hydrated, go for walks, eat well and get plenty of rest. You’ll enjoy this time of year much better if you’re not run down.
3. Have a budge and stick to it.—–This is a tough one. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the great sales and spend more than you anticipated. Take time to really think about how much you want to allot for gifts and don’t go over it. No matter what. I love gift cards because they come in various amounts. You can get them to a particular store or as a Visa/MasterCard to be used just about anywhere.
4. Express your appreciation for others year round.—–It’s normal to want to get gifts for everyone you know to express how valuable they are to you. But don’t fall into the trap of only expressing your appreciation during the holidays. That’s putting yourself under way too much pressure. Instead, let the people you care about know how you feel all year-long. You’ll feel a lot less guilty getting Grandma a gift card at Christmas, if you already got her something special for her birthday.
5. Take time to remember the reason for the season.—–Slow down. Go to church. Volunteer at a shelter. Read books to sick children at a hospital. Go caroling. Stare at a yuletide log. Watch corny Christmas movies. Do something special to commemorate the passing of another year. Because, I promise you, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
Photo credit: Foter.com / CC BY-SA
How do you stay stress free for the holidays? Comment below!
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Faith Simone 