How to Reduce Stress
During the Holidays
If you spend the
holiday season rushing about like a panicked lemming, it's time to
apply some time management strategies.
For many, the
holiday season is the season of stress. There are just so many
things to do, and a limited time to do them in. Working people may
feel especially harassed, trying to cram Christmas activities into
their already limited "leisure" time.
If you're one of
those people feeling more frazzled than festive, taking the time to
use a few time management strategies can make a big difference;
you'll feel as if you're in control, rather than feeling like you're
being driven like one of Santa's reindeer.
Time
Management Strategies For Holiday Stress Relief
1) Make a
list.
It works for
Santa, and it will work for you. Divide a page into two columns.
List the things you have to do to prepare for the holiday season,
such as gift shopping, on one side of the page and the things you
want to do, such as special holiday baking, on the other side of the
page.
2) Pick and
choose your Christmas activities.
Many of us do
what we do during the holiday season just because we always have,
turning the entire month of December into a mad whirl of non-stop
Christmas preparations and activities. If the things on your list
that you have to do outnumber the things that you want to do, it's
time to make your list more manageable by eliminating some of these
holiday activities.
Do you really
need to spend hours writing and sending Christmas cards, for
instance, or hours making hundreds of chocolate balls? By all means
do if you enjoy these activities, but if you don't, give yourself
more time to do the things you enjoy by cutting them from your list.
3) Get an
early start.
There's no rule
that says that all Christmas activities have to be crammed into the
week before Christmas. You can decorate your home for the holiday
season in November if you want (or even, like I do, leave some
Christmas lights up all year round.) Food for the holiday season can
be bought in advance, and holiday gifts can be bought any time of
year. Stretching out your Christmas activities over a longer period
of time can really reduce your holiday stress.
4) Get help.
Who says that you
personally have to wrap all the holiday gifts, do all the baking,
and/or do all the holiday season decorating? This year, give
yourself the gift of holiday stress relief by patronizing a local
bakery, hiring a cleaning service to clean your home, or even having
your holiday season party or festive dinner catered.
Think about how
much your time (and sanity) is worth, and contract out accordingly.
Use the gift wrapping services that many businesses provide this
time of year. Use the time management strategy of delegation, and
assign some tasks to other family members.
5) Break the
holiday gift shopping gridlock.
You don't have to
take the time to drive anywhere to shop if you don't want to. Shop
and buy holiday gifts online.
6) Call ahead
before you shop offline.
Why go six places
looking for that one holiday gift when you could just make a few
phone calls, go to one place and pick it up? I even call ahead and
reserve a turkey for Christmas dinner from the local grocery store.
7) Avoid
rushing around in a holiday frenzy.
Pre-plan and
coordinate your journeys. You can easily combine running errands
with Christmas shopping, for example, so why make separate trips?
And why go Christmas shopping 10 or 12 times? Use your list and make
your calls to cut down on the hours you need to spend shopping.
8) Turn chores
into events.
Everyone finds
some holiday season activities that have to be done drudgery. Make
whatever it is you find drudgery more enjoyable by making it special
and different. For example, make the Christmas baking a family
affair, or invite some friends over for a tree-trimming night.
9) Slow down.
For instance, you
don't need to buy, put up, and decorate the tree all in the same
day. At my house tree trimming is an ongoing event. We buy it, put
it up, and set out the ornaments. Then whoever wants to hangs a few
ornaments on the tree when they feel like it. Sometimes it takes two
weeks, but we always have a beautiful, fully decked Christmas tree
by Christmas Eve.
10) Build time
to relax and enjoy the festive season into your schedule.
Take the time to
drive around and enjoy the incredible displays of Christmas lights,
attend a special holiday concert, make snow angels with the kids, or
just take a long hot bath. Your holiday stress will drop
considerably.
11) Plan ahead
for the next holiday season.
Christmas
supplies, such as decorations and gift wrap, are often available at
discounted prices in the week after Christmas, and they don't go
bad! It's easy enough too to buy holiday gifts any time of year; all
it takes is some planning.
The holiday
season should be a joy, not an ordeal. Applying some time management
strategies during the holiday season can help you regain the
equilibrium you need to appreciate (and savor!) the true spirit of
the season.
have
the courage to question & challenge the status quo... refuse to
accept "traditional" thinking and answers as fact....