Holiday Stress
Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress
by
Matthew
Porter
Make A List, Check It Twice
Your brain is like a computer. It has a certain amount of space to hold information. So give your neurons a break. Download all that data by writing down everything you need to do during the holidays. This includes errands, gift lists, events, etc.
This process takes things from the abstract to the concrete. Now, instead of vague memories of things you need to do and mortal fear of the things you’re forgetting, it simply becomes a manageable list of tasks.
Delegate
Yes, the magical power of delegating works during the holidays, too. In fact, Thanksgiving and Christmas may be when delegating shines the most.
This year, instead of knocking yourself out creating a Thanksgiving feast, let family and friends each contribute a dish or two. That way everyone shares the load. Are some folks not handy in the kitchen? No problem. Say hello to your new cleaning crew. Obviously, you can apply the same strategy to Christmas and New Year’s dinners, leaving you free to blissfully drift into your tryptophan-induced coma in front of the TV.
Shop Ahead of Time
Procrastination always has a price to pay, but never more so when it comes to buying Christmas gifts. Here’s an idea a lot of people are now trying: get all of your shopping done before December 1st.
Sound crazy? Think about it. What’s the biggest source of stress during the Christmas season? Answer: getting mall-ed to death buying presents in December.
It takes a little extra hustle to knock out the gift list by December, but you’ll reap the rewards when you reclaim all that lost time come Christmastime.
Walk It Off
Yeah, yeah… exercise is something we don’t discuss until January. But what we’re talking about here isn’t really about losing weight. Stress has numerous physiological factors and combating it has a lot to do with the balance between the mental, spiritual, and physical.
Regarding the physical, something as simple as walking around the neighborhood can help. Barring that, take the parking spot furthest from the mall and hoof it in (you know that’s the only space available anyway).
Remember the old gym class adage: ‘More exercise is better than a little, and a little is better than none.’
Take Time To Do The Little Things
Think back to your childhood. What was one of your favorite Christmas memories? Making a snowman? Christmas caroling? Making cookies? Attending a Christmas Eve service? Chances are, your favorite holiday memories are about something small and simple, something that doesn’t take a lot of time to do.
This year, why not set aside time to recreate one of those memories? You’ll find once you’re in that moment, your stress will melt away in a feeling akin to coming in from the cold to sit beside the fireplace.
Perspective
It’s fair to say we each have our own vision of the perfect holiday: golden brown pumpkin pies, perfectly behaved and well-dressed children, uncles who don’t get drunk and pass out in the casserole.
Perfect vision meet reality.
That holidays, and life in general, don’t always turn out like we expect is a given. So this year, to relieve the stress of unmet expectations, resolve ahead of time to embrace Plan B. Or C, or D, or E.
I recall planning out the night I was going to propose to my now wife. Everything had been ordered like a military operation and yet-- life happened, foiling my perfect plans. But the thought that kept me in the game was this: it’s all part of the story.
The same goes for holidays. Do you remember specific stories about perfect turkey dinners? Or do you remember the time someone accidentally ruined the turkey by cooking it without first removing the neck, giblets etc. from inside the bird (guilty) and you instead ordered pizza? Let’s face it, perfection is not only unattainable, it’s forgettable.
Bottomline: keep everything in perspective. Because what’s the point of checking off all the items on your list if you lose sight of what the holidays are all about?
Holiday Stress