Five Steps to Reduce Holiday Stress
Posted on 02. Dec, 2008 by Susan in Inspiration
If the sound
of Christmas tunes while you shop for Halloween candy sends you into a panic
attack or a gallon of Haagen Daas, it’s time to adjust your Holiday
temperature. No matter if you feel
more like the Grinch than Cindy Loo Who, there are steps that you can take to
elevate your spirit and enjoy the indoor sport we call “The Holiday Season.”
For many of
us, an unrealistic outlook, family friction, financial stress, and too many
obligations lead to increased stress around the holidays. The moment our perfect, Martha Stewart
inspired vision of the holidays clashes with the real world antics of
squabbling relatives, and over commercialized gift bonanzas, we can become
susceptible to negative, even depressive thinking. The good news is that any stressful circumstance can be
improved or resolved by adjusting our thoughts and expectations.
Using the
extremely simple and effective P E A C E plan below, you’ll find yourself
decking the halls instead of fellow holiday shoppers.
Plan Ahead
Before you
agree to frost another batch of homemade Christmas cookies or host another
neighborhood caroling spree, develop a set of criteria that will help you see
clearly when you need to say, “No.”
Time is a major holiday trigger point, so it is vital to be intentional
about commitments. Will the
situation nourish you and your family? Does it mesh with your core values?
Could cause you to spend less time on more important commitments or family
time? Ask yourself why you want to
do it. Use these questions to
filter through the avalanche of holiday requests and only agree to the few that
pass the test.
Expectations
Improve and
manage your attitude by first becoming aware of the thoughts that you are
thinking that trigger stress.
Replace those thoughts with ones that feel better will ensure a better
outcome.
Add It Up
Create a
reasonable and detailed holiday budget.
Include food, presents, travel, decorations, and all expenses down to
the gift-wrap. Stick to an amount
that realistically fits your income.
Find ways to create meaning and joy during the season that cannot be
bought at the mall.
Care for Yourself
I truly believe that if we all took care
of ourselves, the other steps would be effortless. Schedule time on your calendar to regroup and relax. Set aside simple daily and weekly
rewards, such as a hot bath, a walk with your spouse, or time to read. Decide what will help better the
holidays for yourself, and do it.
Enjoy the Moment!
Often, we
spend our holiday time rushing from one event to the next, and miss the small
and truly magical moments along the way.
I’ll never forget the Christmas when both of my children were sick on
Christmas Eve. We were forced to
stay home from church, a family
dinner, and missed all the hoopla.
What we gained was a quiet dinner at home with our immediate family. It was perhaps the most relaxing
Christmas I ever enjoyed. It
wasn’t the turkey or stockings or twinkling lights that made it special. It was our ability to adjust our
holiday expectations and savor the moment.
Even if every holiday season prior has been a bust, Dr. Suess offered
some wonderful advice about gaining perspective during the holidays, “understand
that the Grinch in my story is the Hero of Christmas. Sure… he starts out as
a villain, but it's not how you start out that counts. It's what you are at the
finish."
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