DE-STRESSING DECEMBER. Ten Tips For A Stress-Free Holiday Season
DE-STRESSING DECEMBER Ten Tips For A Stress-Free Holiday Season
If the normally joyous holiday season makes you nervous, anxious
and stressed out from anticipation, there is hope for you. Below
are ten tips for reducing your holiday stress level and
increasing your enjoyment of the season.
1. Don?t try to do all the cooking yourself for your holiday
dinner. It?s more fun and less stress when you ask your guests
to contribute something special to the meal. They will feel
needed and you?ll get a break!
2. Be aware of your sugar intake through the holidays. Increased
sugar levels can make you depressed and bloated. Try to avoid as
many holiday treats as you can, so you don?t end up stressing
over potential weight-gain come January.
3. Give up the Perfect Holiday Myth. Nothing is ever perfect, so
stop worrying about things that don?t matter. Believe it or not,
nobody really cares if the decorations aren?t flawless, the wine
isn?t cold enough, or the pie crust is a little overdone.
4. Invite people to your gatherings and then figure about half
of them will have other commitments. Plan accordingly so you
don?t overspend your money on way too much food. Remember to
enjoy the people who DO attend, instead of lamenting over how
many sent regrets.
5. Don?t put lights all the way around your Christmas tree.
Drape them back and forth, but only put them on the sides that
you can see. That way, when you take them down, you don?t have
to walk circles around the tree, you just stand in front and
pull them off.
6. If you?re handy with a sewing machine, make fabric drawstring
bags in varying sizes and festive fabrics. Every Christmas,
reuse the bags for gift giving under your tree at home, instead
of using wrapping paper. You will save yourself money, as well
as hours of wrapping time!
7. Expect delays. Allow extra time for all your errands this
month. No matter what, things just seem to be more hectic in
December, and everyone wants to be all the same places you want
to be. Psych yourself up for it by expecting those delays. If
you are mentally prepared for it in advance, it won?t stress you
as much.
8. Choose which traditions are important to you and ditch the
rest. There is no reason to aggravate yourself by sticking with
traditions you don?t like, simply for the sake of tradition.
Start some new ones of your own this year and leave the old ones
behind.
9. Because you see your stuff so often, you forget how much you
really have, and you may keep things simply because you?ve had
them for so long. The holidays are a great time of year to
evaluate your home decor. Pack your everyday knick-knacks away
when you break out the holiday d