Thanksgiving just ended, Christmas is on its way, the store sales are in full throttle, and everyone is starting to feel that overload of holiday stress. Scrambling from Christmas shopping for others, to decorating your home, managing holiday dinner preparations, and you can’t forget moving that elf, the chaos never seems to end. It’s easy to get thrown off track mentally and even physically at this time of the year. Nevertheless, there are some easy tips you can try that may help your holidays to run smoothly and more peacefully. Here’s a quick list that will certainly get you moving in the right direction while feeling good about it.
- Stop. Breathe. Prioritize. Sure, it sounds easy enough but sometimes we forget to do it. Making sound decisions when you are at your calmest is always best. When things start feeling too overwhelming, just take a moment. Deep breathing exercises may work best during this time as it vacates brain fog. That allows you to concentrate on your more important tasks first.
- Make a list of everything that needs to be achieved and its due date. Feel free to make changes to it as many times as you need!
- Get some rest! I promise you those decorations will be there tomorrow. However, you may not get away with not moving the elf to another part of the house. Simply do what you can today and don’t boggle yourself down with what can be done tomorrow.
- Don’t forget to eat. Sometimes we get so busy, we start to feel the effects of not eating before we realize how long it’s been. This isn’t only unsafe for our bodies, but our thinking process as well. Even if you feel you don’t have time to sit down and eat the largest meal, make sure you are incorporating healthier snacks if you know you’re going to have a jam-packed day.
5. Redirect your focus. The holiday is supposed to be about spending time with family, eating good food, and giving to the less fortunate. Don’t become so focused on decorating and gift-giving that you lose your jolly holiday spirit. If you do these five things from now until the end of the year, you are already on the right track to enjoying your holidays and entering into a healthy and prosperous New Year.