Ways To Reduce Holiday Stress
how do i reduce stress during the holidays?
The holiday season is almost upon us. Are you ready for the rush? Do you know all the things you want to do this season? Here are some items to consider to help plan a fabulous holiday season.
Write out your vision for the holidays
Take some time BEFORE the holidays start to jump off and decide what’s important to accomplish or add to the memories this holiday season. Do you want to start new traditions? Do you want to see all the light shows within a short road trip distance? Jot down all the wants and the must do items. After they are listed, actually schedule them on your calendar. Just because you say these are your intentions, if you dont schedule them it will be out of sight out of mind. Once Thanksgiving happens, it's basically New Years Eve and you will be scratching your head wondering why your list was never completed.
Don't forget to list all of the more mundane items that must be done. A childcare plan for the kids while on winter break from school, putting up the holiday decorations, sending out the Christmas cards,etc. These are all things that need to be added to the calendar to help plan the holiday season as a whole. If you don't plan a day to do the decorations, it will get put off or it could cancel a holiday activity in order to get it done. Either scenario could cause a stressful situation where you feel jilted because of feeling FOMO when squeezing or deleting tasks and/or activities when if planned in advance both could have been accomplished rush free.
Say no
After you have created the schedule according to the first step. It's ok to say no to everything else- don't overcommit to events and tasks. Matter of fact it's a must. First of all I'm quite sure the schedule is jammed packed with the things you want/ need to do. You don't want every free moment to be spoken for regardless or if it's something you want to do or not. Taking a moment just to be in the moment, relax, and rest should be in your schedule. If you have not added it, go back and add that now. Mental and physical health is always a priority but especially during the holiday season.
There is never room for things that you should do because of other people. The obligatory yes gets you no gold stars in life- just stress and frown lines.
Shop in advance***
Complete your holiday shopping as early as possible. You don't want it looming over your head while you can be out celebrating and attending all the light shows possible. Plus when you wait until the last moment, items can be picked over. That then causes you to have to pivot to find another gift which may cost more than you would like to spend and causing unnecessary stress. Not to mention how there is always one gift that you forget to get when you are scrambling at the last minute to complete your list. The sales have already started, jump in and knock this to do out early. You will thank yourself later.
Ask for help
Do not be shy about requesting favors or help during this time. There is a lot going on to manage. The kids have at least 2 weeks off from school-who is keeping them and what activities and meals will be provided? What additional prep will be needed to get the house ready for holiday dinners? How are you going to get the tree and 5 large containers of decorations upstairs and set up in the house? Do you really think you are doing this all yourself???? Request help from your spouse, family and friends to help execute the holiday season without you shouldering the stress of the details. And you know who else can help? Your kids. They can have responsibilities based on their age such as vacuuming tree shedings or turning the Christmas lights off in the morning. Lots of hands make heavy work light.
These steps can truly help avoid having a hectic holiday season. It's so easy to get swept up in the spirit and miss events and objectives because you run out of time. Create your vision, set the boundaries and then sit back and soak in the joy from the holiday season.
Share your tips to relieve stress during the holiday season in the comments below⬇️⬇️⬇️
***How early should you start holiday shopping? The correct answer is now AND throughout the year. Shopping year round to get the best sales and deals on your holiday gift list. It reduces the stress of getting everything at once.I have given you easy steps to begin purchasing gifts year round in my guide Buy More, Spend Less, Save Your Sanity.This guide walks you through each step of holiday shopping in order to give quality gifts with less time and effort. How to develop your list to save time later in the process, the 4 types of gifts and multiple examples of each, what times of the year to save the most money (FYI- It’s not Black Friday), and how to create the “Stay Ready Bin”are all included for your convenience.
Click here to have an easier Christmas Shopping experience.