Stress-busters

Thanks, Steve, for this good article on surviving holiday stress!

HOLIDAY STRESS BUSTERS

By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

The holidays are a time for great joy for some, and a time of stress and
frustration for others. None of us should be denied the joys of the
holiday season and so I have put together the following seven
suggestions to help you “bust” the holiday stress and enjoy this time
more.

1. Plan ahead. We know well in advance, (like a year before), that the
holidays will require a lot more of our time for special preparations in
addition to our regular routines and responsibilities. However, many of
us get caught short, in crisis management, running around at the
“eleventh hour”, trying to get the last minute stuff done, feeling a bit
(or a lot) stressed out. The solution is to plan ahead and schedule
these tasks and events with greater care. It always seems to get done
sooner or later. Why not sooner, at your pace, without so much of the
hassle?

2. Delegate. There is a lot of difference between “I do it” and “It gets
done”. Which is more important to you? I hope, “It gets done”. Sure it’s
fun to “do it all”, but that may be an impractical goal that only serves
to frazzle and stress you out. Share the shopping, cooking, cleaning,
etc. responsibilities with others. You don’t have to “do it all”
yourself. It would be nice if we could, but there is only so much time.
And people generally appreciate the opportunity to participate in the
preparations. “You don’t always do for someone when you always do for
someone.”

3. Get enough sleep. During the holidays, with all there is to do, the
parties, the preparations, the shopping, the wrapping, and the cooking,
it is easy to pay for the additional time required with our sleep time.
The problem for many is that when they don’t get enough sleep, they get
cranky and don’t enjoy what they are doing as much. Not only that, they
may not exactly be a pleasure to be around! Each of us has a different
sleep level that we require to feel rested. Especially during the busy
holiday period, take the time for adequate sleep so that you have the
energy to get into the full swing of things and enjoy it as it happens.

4. Don’t overindulge. Anything in moderation. The holidays are a time
when it is easy to overindulge in what we eat and drink. The problem is,
we pay for it later and sometimes sooner. A little advanced planning
might help as well. For example, let’s say you know that you always
accumulate an additional five pounds over the holidays. Make it a point
to drop five pounds before the holiday season. Many find it is easier
and less stressful to lose that additional weight before, rather than
after, the holidays.

5. Set a financial budget and stick to it. We tend to want to be
generous and when shopping, it is easy to fall prey to “impulse buying”
and “go all out” with the credit cards. Then, we experience the “post
holiday blues”, when the bills arrive in January. Plan what you will
spend before you go to the stores, when you are rational, and then stick
to those budget amounts when you are in the stores, when you are more
emotional.

6. Don’t overload this time period. KISS. “Keep it Simple…” This is not
the last holiday period you will enjoy. You can’t do everything but you
can do and enjoy the most important things. Sure you will do more now
than at other times during the year. Have a grand time, a memorable
holiday season. Just don’t try to “do it all”. Save something for next
year.

7. Enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Don’t “dread” any part
of it, the shopping, the wrapping, the cooking, the cleaning, etc. Find
happiness in all of it. Enjoy it all. Some place all their eggs in one
basket. If all the celebration and the joy are scheduled for that one
night, perhaps Christmas Eve, what happens if it’s a disappointment? The
whole season is a bust. Enjoy all the stuff leading up to the “big
night” and enhance the quality and your level of enjoyment of the entire
season.