Seeds for Change Wellness
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Ten Tips for De-Stressing December
Do you find yourself in a state of stressful exhaustion preparing for the holidays? Did you say
to yourself last season, "Next year I'm doing it differently?" only to find yourself back in the
same place once again?
For many, the holiday season is a time of stress. There is always the unending list of things to
do, with the clock ticking in the background, reminding us it is a race to the finish. Few have
the luxury of unlimited free time to complete all the tasks we feel compelled to do to create that
"perfect holiday movie" we have playing in our heads.
If you are one of those people feeling more frazzled than festive, taking the time to use a few
time management strategies and suggestions for de-stressing, can make a big difference.
You'll feel as if you're in control, rather than feeling like your being driven like one of Santa's
reindeer.
10 Tips for De-Stressing December:
1. Make a List, Check it Twice!
It worked for Santa, it'll work for you! Make two columns..
What I Have to Do (such as holiday shopping...) and
What I Want to Do (such as special holiday baking)
Then Prioritize!
What must absolutely be done first?
What are my options in accomplishing these tasks?
What is my time frame?
2. Give Yourself Permission to be Selective!
How many of the activities do you do during the holidays just because
you always have done them? Is the holiday season a mad whirl of non-
stop preparations and activities, leaving you totally exhausted?
If the things on your list of What I Have to Do outnumbers the list of
What I Want to Do, it is time to make your list more manageable by
eliminating some of these holiday activities.
Do you really need to spend hours writing and sending holiday cards
to everyone in your address book? Is making hundreds of chocolate
balls what you really look forward to each December? Does every
room in the house need to be stuffed with holiday decorations? If the
answer to your questions is yes, and you really enjoy these activities
by all means, do them. If not, don't! Give yourself permission to do
what is meaningful and you enjoy, and drop or reduce what is not.
3. Pack Up your Super Hero's Costume!
Halloween is over! Who says you have to do it all yourself? This year
give yourself some holiday stress relief by patronizing a local bakery,
hiring a cleaning service to clean your house, or even having your
holiday party catered.
Think about how much your time and sanity is worth and then contract
out accordingly. Have your gifts wrapped by a wrapping service when
your purchase them, enlist the help of the kids to do some of the required
tasks, group together with a few friends or neighbors to swap babysitting
or share baking tasks. There are plenty of alternatives and options to
do it differently, once we pack up our Super Hero's costume.
4. Break the Holiday Gift Shopping Gridlock!
You don't have to take the time to drive anywhere to shop if you don't
want to. Shop and buy holiday gifts online. Get a meaningful gift
certificate. Both of these ways will keep you out of the hectic crowds
and long lines.
5. Turn Chores into Events!
Let's face it, there are always holiday tasks to be done that you dread.
Make whatever you dread more enjoyable by doing it differently so it
becomes something special. Hate to decorate the tree? Then have a
tree-trimming party. Don't like to decorate? Invite a friend and help
each other do the decorating differently. Where in the rule book does
it say, your decorations have to be placed in exactly the same spot
they have been for the last 10 years of your life? Teaming up with a
friend makes it fun and will give you a different look! Who knows, they
may even embarrass you into ditching the half melted choir boy
candles you have been holding onto because Aunt Sophie gave them
to you.
6. Watch your Favorite Holiday Movie Instead of Taking the Starring Role!
Give up the Perfect Holiday Myth! Nothing is ever perfect, so stop
worrying about things that don't matter. Believe it or not, very few people
if any will notice that the decorations aren't flawless, the wine isn't cold
enough, or the pie crust is a little overdone.
My mother once almost ruined our holiday dinner several years ago.
In her state of exhaustion while the "perfect holiday movie" was
playing in her head, she lashed out at my father at the dinner table
because, in his ignorance of fine dining etiquette, he picked up the wrong
fork to eat his salad with! Imagine that! It has since provided us with
years of humorous memories, but at the time it definitely put a damper
on dinner conversation and had everyone feeling uncomfortable.
It is really important to remember that the holidays are meant to
be a time for family and friends to come together to share with
each other on a deeply meaningful level. Somewhere along the way,
many of us really bought into this commercialized idea of what the
holiday should be and in the process have overcomplicated it and
lost its true meaning.
7. When was the Last Time You Roasted Chestnuts on an Open Fire?
Don't try to do all the cooking for your holiday dinner yourself. It's more
fun when you ask your guests to contribute something special to the
meal. It adds variety, it gives them a chance to bring something they
really like, especially if they aren't a fan of your cooking, and it gives
you a much deserved break so you can enjoy the meal as well.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire makes good holiday music but is
not meant to imply that you have to do all the cooking by yourself and
from scratch. If you can't bring yourself to ask your guests to bring along
something to contribute, there are other alternatives. Have the side
dishes and desserts catered and just worry about cooking the main dish.
8. Traditionally Yours?
Are you still holding onto holiday traditions you don't like simply because
your family always did it this way? Guess what? You will survive the
holiday season if you decide to drop it. Choose the traditions that are
important to you and ditch the rest. There is no reason to aggravate
yourself by sticking with something 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. Use Common Sense While Visions of Sugar Plums Dance in your Head!
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.
10. Re-Learn the Definition of Holiday!
One dictionary definition of holiday: "any fixed or usual period for relaxation or
festivity" Does this sound like you during the holiday season? Granted preparations
for the holiday involve additional planning and work on your part but you can
decide to make some changes in how you typically handle the workload. Build
in time to relax in between all the hustle and bustle. Get to bed early, treat yourself
to a relaxing candlelight soak in the tub, schedule a massage to reward yourself
for all your hard work.. When you look, you can find ways to pamper yourself through
the holiday, it simply becomes the choice to do so!
The holiday season should be a time of joy, not an ordeal. Applying some of these
suggestions during the holiday season can help you keep your balance and
appreciate the true spirit of the season.
to yourself last season, "Next year I'm doing it differently?" only to find yourself back in the
same place once again?
For many, the holiday season is a time of stress. There is always the unending list of things to
do, with the clock ticking in the background, reminding us it is a race to the finish. Few have
the luxury of unlimited free time to complete all the tasks we feel compelled to do to create that
"perfect holiday movie" we have playing in our heads.
If you are one of those people feeling more frazzled than festive, taking the time to use a few
time management strategies and suggestions for de-stressing, can make a big difference.
You'll feel as if you're in control, rather than feeling like your being driven like one of Santa's
reindeer.
10 Tips for De-Stressing December:
1. Make a List, Check it Twice!
It worked for Santa, it'll work for you! Make two columns..
What I Have to Do (such as holiday shopping...) and
What I Want to Do (such as special holiday baking)
Then Prioritize!
What must absolutely be done first?
What are my options in accomplishing these tasks?
What is my time frame?
2. Give Yourself Permission to be Selective!
How many of the activities do you do during the holidays just because
you always have done them? Is the holiday season a mad whirl of non-
stop preparations and activities, leaving you totally exhausted?
If the things on your list of What I Have to Do outnumbers the list of
What I Want to Do, it is time to make your list more manageable by
eliminating some of these holiday activities.
Do you really need to spend hours writing and sending holiday cards
to everyone in your address book? Is making hundreds of chocolate
balls what you really look forward to each December? Does every
room in the house need to be stuffed with holiday decorations? If the
answer to your questions is yes, and you really enjoy these activities
by all means, do them. If not, don't! Give yourself permission to do
what is meaningful and you enjoy, and drop or reduce what is not.
3. Pack Up your Super Hero's Costume!
Halloween is over! Who says you have to do it all yourself? This year
give yourself some holiday stress relief by patronizing a local bakery,
hiring a cleaning service to clean your house, or even having your
holiday party catered.
Think about how much your time and sanity is worth and then contract
out accordingly. Have your gifts wrapped by a wrapping service when
your purchase them, enlist the help of the kids to do some of the required
tasks, group together with a few friends or neighbors to swap babysitting
or share baking tasks. There are plenty of alternatives and options to
do it differently, once we pack up our Super Hero's costume.
4. Break the Holiday Gift Shopping Gridlock!
You don't have to take the time to drive anywhere to shop if you don't
want to. Shop and buy holiday gifts online. Get a meaningful gift
certificate. Both of these ways will keep you out of the hectic crowds
and long lines.
5. Turn Chores into Events!
Let's face it, there are always holiday tasks to be done that you dread.
Make whatever you dread more enjoyable by doing it differently so it
becomes something special. Hate to decorate the tree? Then have a
tree-trimming party. Don't like to decorate? Invite a friend and help
each other do the decorating differently. Where in the rule book does
it say, your decorations have to be placed in exactly the same spot
they have been for the last 10 years of your life? Teaming up with a
friend makes it fun and will give you a different look! Who knows, they
may even embarrass you into ditching the half melted choir boy
candles you have been holding onto because Aunt Sophie gave them
to you.
6. Watch your Favorite Holiday Movie Instead of Taking the Starring Role!
Give up the Perfect Holiday Myth! Nothing is ever perfect, so stop
worrying about things that don't matter. Believe it or not, very few people
if any will notice that the decorations aren't flawless, the wine isn't cold
enough, or the pie crust is a little overdone.
My mother once almost ruined our holiday dinner several years ago.
In her state of exhaustion while the "perfect holiday movie" was
playing in her head, she lashed out at my father at the dinner table
because, in his ignorance of fine dining etiquette, he picked up the wrong
fork to eat his salad with! Imagine that! It has since provided us with
years of humorous memories, but at the time it definitely put a damper
on dinner conversation and had everyone feeling uncomfortable.
It is really important to remember that the holidays are meant to
be a time for family and friends to come together to share with
each other on a deeply meaningful level. Somewhere along the way,
many of us really bought into this commercialized idea of what the
holiday should be and in the process have overcomplicated it and
lost its true meaning.
7. When was the Last Time You Roasted Chestnuts on an Open Fire?
Don't try to do all the cooking for your holiday dinner yourself. It's more
fun when you ask your guests to contribute something special to the
meal. It adds variety, it gives them a chance to bring something they
really like, especially if they aren't a fan of your cooking, and it gives
you a much deserved break so you can enjoy the meal as well.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire makes good holiday music but is
not meant to imply that you have to do all the cooking by yourself and
from scratch. If you can't bring yourself to ask your guests to bring along
something to contribute, there are other alternatives. Have the side
dishes and desserts catered and just worry about cooking the main dish.
8. Traditionally Yours?
Are you still holding onto holiday traditions you don't like simply because
your family always did it this way? Guess what? You will survive the
holiday season if you decide to drop it. Choose the traditions that are
important to you and ditch the rest. There is no reason to aggravate
yourself by sticking with something 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. Use Common Sense While Visions of Sugar Plums Dance in your Head!
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.
10. Re-Learn the Definition of Holiday!
One dictionary definition of holiday: "any fixed or usual period for relaxation or
festivity" Does this sound like you during the holiday season? Granted preparations
for the holiday involve additional planning and work on your part but you can
decide to make some changes in how you typically handle the workload. Build
in time to relax in between all the hustle and bustle. Get to bed early, treat yourself
to a relaxing candlelight soak in the tub, schedule a massage to reward yourself
for all your hard work.. When you look, you can find ways to pamper yourself through
the holiday, it simply becomes the choice to do so!
The holiday season should be a time of joy, not an ordeal. Applying some of these
suggestions during the holiday season can help you keep your balance and
appreciate the true spirit of the season.