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Holiday Stress Management: 4 Tips
Decking the halls and spreading good cheer takes a lot of energy.
Here are some tips to make sure you enjoy every last fa-la-la.
1. Stay Centered. An energized and peaceful holiday season is possible
only when you can keep your priorities straight. Take a pen and paper
and ask yourself: What do you value, above all else? What comes second?
Third? How important is your spirituality, your family, your profession,
your time for yourself? After some thought and reflection, rank your top
priorities on a Post-it-Note where you will see it throughout the day.
(Mine is on my computer monitor). Refer to your list when asked to make
commitments and compromises. If the request does not jibe with your
list, you do not only have permission, you have an obligation, to say
no.
This list of priorities may set the course for new holiday traditions,
as well. Maybe you will donate toys, books, and food to charities. Maybe
you will help serve dinner at a homeless shelter in lieu of a holiday
meal.
2. Indulge the ghost of Christmas Past. What memories immediately come
forth that evoke a fond nostalgia? For me, it isn't the gifts or the
shopping or even the parties. It's rocking my infant, alone, by
candlelight, to "Silent Night." It's letting my 2-year-old crack the
eggs for the cookies, and seeing the pride on her floury face.
Decide what the holidays really mean to you. What is really important?
Then make a plan to weave more of those activities into your holidays,
and reduce the rest.
3. Deck the Halls with Light and Love. Don't let commercialism spoil
your fun. Make the simple promise to yourself that, this year, you'll
actually enjoy your holiday shopping. Brainstorm ways you can make this
happen. For me, the mall is a giant energy drain. The look of worried
resignation as a shopper hands over her credit card tells me that she is
shopping out of a sense of obligation and not one of joy. And it sours
my holiday spirit.
Instead, I carve out an afternoon all to myself. I put on an Andrea
Bocelli CD, sip Chai tea from a giant mug, and curl up with a fleece
blanket to surf the Internet and page through catalogs. That's how I
find just the right something for everyone on my list. When it ceases to
be fun, I stop. I so enjoy shopping this way that, throughout the year,
I bookmark sites that offer just the right items.
If you find the materialism of the season draining your energy, commit
to making an attitude shift. If you want things to be different this
year, only you can make it so. Take the lead for your family, and live
in such a way that you prove less stuff really does equal more fun.
Maybe you'll take the money you usually spend on one-too-many toys and
enjoy, instead, a weekend family getaway. Maybe you'll make homemade
goodies, such as picture frames, home movies, or goodie baskets, which
the whole family helps to create.
Maybe you'll bag the traditional gift-giving and start a new tradition.
In our family, it goes like this: Each guest brings a wrapped gift of
roughly the same dollar value. We sit in a circle and each person, in
turn, has the option of taking a gift that's already been opened or
opening a new one. It's fun. It's festive. It gets everyone moving and
talking, and it switches the focus to the relationships and the
event...not the gifts.
4. Start early, plan well, and take care of yourself. Here are some
tips:
Simplify as much as possible. Use paper plates. Eat out. If a holiday
tradition is old and tired, reinvigorate it or start a new tradition of
staying at home.
Plan ahead. To help, chances are, your favorite food website has a
checklist for big holiday events.
Replenish your natural energy by taking care of your body. Eat right.
Exercise (in the crisp outdoors once in a while). Drink plenty of water.
Sleep.
Energize your image. Give yourself an early holiday gift or a great
haircut, a brow shaping, a pedicure with bright red polish, or a free
makeover at your favorite cosmetics counter and a purchase of the most
vibrant lipstick shade you'll actually wear.
Decorate with items of comfort and joy. Display photographs from past
holiday celebrations. Keep in full view reminders that you take care of
yourself...fresh flowers, indulgent hand crème, inspiring music, and
energizing scents, such as citrus or peppermint.
Spend the season with your most energetic friends. Instead of letting
the Scrooges in your life yank you down, send them something sweet from
a Secret Santa. A little anonymous enchantment may be just what they
need.
Keep a "Joy Journal" this holiday season, in which you record the funny
things your kids say, joyful times you share, your favorite things to do
with your family (and by yourself), and all the things for which you are
grateful. Use your Joy Journal as a reminder of the facets of your
life-and this holiday season-that are really important.
Happy holidays from my home to yours!
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Great Gift Ideas
Here, a collection of our best gift picks for all kinds of different occasions. Plus links to coupons and special offers from our favorite gift merchants.
The Very Best Gift Cards
Gift cards aren't created equal. Check out our favorite card options, which we plan to give this holiday season (and hope to get!) Plus, ideas on making gift cards more personal.
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