The holidays are upon us! For many people, there is so much excitement that comes as part of the season. The get-togethers, the great food and drink, the gifts and the list goes on and on. But with that excitement can sometimes bring on a lot of extra STRESS! As you are reading this, you might already be a little on edge about the whole holiday season. Believe me you are not alone.
If this is you and you know that the holidays stress you out, you have taken a step in the right direction by acknowledging it! Now the next step is to then commit to doing something about it. You must take responsibility for it because no one else will take care of this for you. So here are some of my smart ways to take action so you’ll be less stressed this holiday season!
12 ‘Smart’ Ways To Be Less Stressed This Holiday Season
- Do Not Do It All – Make the commitment right now to not even try to do it all. Release the control of ‘some’ things. Any little bit will help. Delegate out some of the cleaning, some of the cooking or the decorating. Do it and you’ll be so glad you did it.
- Realize That Things Will Not Be Perfect – We all know that nothing in life is absolutely perfect. So if you have a touch of perfectionism in you, just acknowledge that something will go wrong. Don’t stress about what you know is likely small stuff. Focus in on the important stuff of the season.
- Don’t Over Commit to Functions – Be sure not to stretch your time too thin. It’s so easy to say yes to commitments then later feel like you don’t really want to go to some of them. Make the commitment to pause before saying yes to commitments. Make sure it fits into your overall holiday plan.
- Keep Yourself Within Budget – Don’t overspend this holiday season! You know how it feels when you overspend. Make the commitment to focus on the important stuff; creating memories instead of overspending.
- Keep Committed to Staying On Your Fitness Routine – Don’t let the holidays get you off course from your fitness routine. Exercise will help you ward off any stress that comes your way and burn off those extra calories you eat!
- Feel No Guilt About Not Trying Everyone’s Tasty Food – As you know there is going to be so many tasty foods during the holidays. If you are on a health routine, don’t feel guilty about not having everyone’s food. The holidays can be about treating yourself, but don’t let anyone guilt you into sabotaging your diet.
- Keep Yourself Hydrated – I don’t know about you, but when I get super busy, sometimes I forget to drink a good amount of water. Be sure during the holidays to keep yourself well hydrated. Keep some water always around you.
- Commit to Getting Enough Sleep – It’s easy with all the holiday parties and cooking to stay up late and get up extra early. During the holidays, be sure to try to get an adequate amount of sleep.
- Don’t Get Pulled Into Family Drama – Just because it’s the holidays, it doesn’t mean that family will all get along. Don’t get pulled into drama that might happen between some of your family.
- Reach Out For Support If You Feel Depressed – The holidays can be a very depressing time for people who have recently lost loved ones. If you feel down or depressed during this holiday season, know that there is support out there for you. Don’t go through it alone. Reach out for help. There are people out there ready to help you.
- Remind Yourself of the Importance of the Holidays – Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Take time to always keep grounded and remember what the holidays really mean.
- Don’t Forget To Treat Yourself – You should do this every day, but during this holiday season, don’t forget to treat yourself really special. Celebrate all that you are and have become. You deserve it.
How are you feeling about the upcoming holidays? What tips above will you use to keep the stress of the season away? Or what other tips would you add to my list? I can’t wait to hear from you!
Cynthia Bazin is absolutely passionate about YOUR success and happiness. If you are ready and committed to change your life and take charge of your life, contact Cynthia today to start a conversation! She wants to be your mentor! She will get you laser-focused on the important things in life! [email protected] | https://cynthiabazin.com
Cynthia is also a City Director for the national magazine ‘Today’s Innovative Woman’! There are lots of very ‘smart’ articles to help you thrive in business and in life in general! There are local digital editions and a national print edition. Sign-up for your free subscription today! http://todaysinnovativewoman.com/sacramento
Love all your tips, Cynthia especially “Do Not Do It All”. That is always a challenge for me. This year I decided to streamline the Thanksgiving dinner a bit and not have more than 2 courses- skipping the soup. This may not seem like a lot but will actually relieve so much tension for me.
Re-evaluating the little things can be great de-stressors.
Thanks for the great reminders and Happy Thanksgiving!
Terri, that is excellent what you are doing. That minor change you will be doing is going to make a difference! Thank you so much for your comments. Thank you for being such an awesome person. I appreciate you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Great advise Cynthia. I love all of them. My biggest difficulty is not the guilt about the food but wanting to try it all. I love all the annual dishes/recipes that come back just for the holidays. I definitely love the one about hydrating ourselves. It’s such a great reminder. I do forget that one and than I end up sluggish and wonder why. Thanks again for all the great advise. These should be for year round! 🙂
Thank you Nicole for your comments on my blog! I am like you that I don’t drink enough water! This is going to change this holiday season. I am going to keep that bottle of water with me at all times and hydrate! Have an amazing day my friend. I appreciate YOU!
Hi Cynthia,
This is an excellent holiday checklist that can help all of us with that negative self-talk. Any time you think something like “I feel guilty,” “I’m letting others down,” etc. Try to rearrange your point of view; try to look at it from a less negative point of view, which doesn’t put all of the blame or guilt on you. For example, “I let my grandchild down; I didn’t make it to his school holiday party,” “I tried, but I was sick” or even, “I forgot about it, and I feel so bad, but I’m usually supportive of all of my children.”
Thanks for another Great blog and thanks for being such a Great friend!
Brad
managementbrad on Twitter
Thank you so much Brad for your wisdom. You are so appreciated Brad. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Much gratitude to you!
Cynthia, you offer some great guidance as we enter the Holiday’s. So many of us get caught up in the whirlwind of activities, perceived expectations and in overextending ourselves. Thanks for your 12 tips, and if followed, I believe will offer hope to thousands of people during this Season. Have a great day my friend!
Thank you Dale for your comments. I really appreciate our connection and your support. I wish you and your family a fantastic Thanksgiving!
Love #11. The holidays are all about spending quality time with the important people in your life. The rest is just fluff!
Thank you so much Stephanie! How true it is about what the holidays are really all about. Happy Thanksgiving my friend!
This is a fantastic post that is right on time for the holiday season. I love and completely agree with every point you made. I have to admit that I need to work on #8 as this is the one that I often neglect. Thanks for sharing such great content! xo
Ah yes Linda….. getting enough sleep! That is a big challenge for many people. It’s good that you recognize it and hopefully you will work on getting more of the sleep that you need. Thank you for being an amazing friend. Coffee Cheers to you!
As I read through your list, so many of them resonate with me. The two that jump out are Do Not Do It All and Don’t Over Commit to Functions. Trying to do too much not only increases my stress level, but my quality of work goes down. As my stress level grows, it makes it harder or me to get the sleep I need and my family suffers as well. So I am determined to take a step back and be careful about not trying to do it all this year and definitely will not over commit to various functions and activities.
As always, another great read from you! Happy Thanksgiving my friend.
Adam McGinness
Great post and advice for any time of the year and especially around the holidays. #s 5-9 resonate with me. I find that if I stay committed to my workouts, the stress doesn’t build up and I stay grounded and can see the big picture perspective and can reframe and act in ways that keep me feeling empowered instead of reacting.
Happy Thanksgiving Cynthia!
Cynthia, AWESOME post as always!!! Thank you for the smart tips and helpful advice to ensure the Holidays are enjoyable & stress free!! Always appreciate your wisdom my Friend!! Happy Thanksgiving! XoXo :))
LOVE LOVE your advise and positive encouragement! You Rock Cynthia!! Love your simple and powerful philosophy!
Thanks, Cynthia. I will be sharing your lovely article. I would add that as we all have short visits with people we don’t see often, focusing on loving words, hugs and warm connection has become very important to me.
Seeing holiday time as a fresh beginning, rather than a repeat of the past, can help everyone have happy memories, and allow themselves to be remembered well.
Thanks Cynthia what a super blog full of highly essential 12 days of the Holiday Season/Christmas/New Year tips.
Forget Turtle Doves Gold Rings and Lords a Leaping make sure you follow her sound advice and you won’t go far wrong.
Wishing you all a great time and make sure it’s memorable in the right way.
Happy Holidays…see you on the other side!!
Thanks for a timely and on-point post from my favorite Smart Chic! I always keep #11 The Reason for the Season in mind and it helps when I start down the slippery slope of focusing on #1 & #2 (smile). Thanks for all you do to help us take charge of our lives <3 Happy Holidays!
Great advice, Cynthia! It is so easy to become overwhelmed this time of year but using some of your tips will definitely help with that! Sometimes it’s hard to say ‘no’, but it’s necessary and it’s okay to turn down invitations and it’s okay to pull back a little and not do everything! Remembering what the holidays are all about is most important.
Thanks, as always, for a great post!
Donna 🙂