Tips For Reducing Holiday Stress

The holiday season can be a major stressor in our lives. The holidays are replete with incidents of burnout, exhaustion, and fatigue due to the pressure that people experience. It does not need to be that way! This is a time of celebration and it is impossible to truly celebrate while under distress. The following is a list of ideas to help you avoid burnout. Be creative; come up with your own ideas for helping you and your family celebrate the season with minimal stress.

1. Plan Ahead - by planning ahead for all your activities, you eliminate excess time in the car, time in the shopping center, and time in the kitchen.
2. Make Lists - have several packets of Post-it Notes available and make a list for everything. For example, think ahead of what you want to shop for, be it food, gifts, or decor, and then make a list. Stick to the list, and you will be amazed at the time you save in the store.
3. Learn to Say "No" - when you feel like the demands placed on you are too heavy, do not feel guilty stating your limits.
4. Avoid Excess Noise - in times of stress, excess background noise could be making you more edgy than you are aware. When you feel agitated, notice the extra noise around you. Turn off the TV if no one is watching. Turn down radios, fans, and other electrical equipment that aren't necessary but are making background noise.
5. Determine What is Important - there are some things that are vital to your family celebration. By all means, make sure those things get done. However there are numerous superfluous things that simply don't need doing. For instance, if you don't enjoy caroling, don't feel that you have to spend time caroling to all the neighbors; simply don't do it!
6. Go to What You Want to - In addition to the aforementioned, do not feel obligated to go to every Christmas program and party. If someone is having a party that you simply don't have time for, tell them you won't be able to make it. Celebrate your freedom by choosing what you want to do and don't want to do.
7. No Need for Perfection - although we all want everything to be nice for Christmas, it does not need to be perfect. Enlist the help of your kids in may projects. For example, have them cut out the Christmas sugar cookies or put the decorations on the tree. Have them help you pick out gifts for the other children. Things won't be "perfect" but this WILL relieve your stress and help the kids feel more involved.
8. Get Away - whatever you need to do to "get away" for a moment, do it! Examples include: take a hot bubble bath, lie in a dark room with scented Christmas candles, send the kids out to play in the snow, listen to soft Christmas music while sitting in front of the Christmas tree, take a moonlit walk with your spouse in the snow... the list is endless!

Merry Christmas!