The Holidays are here ya’ll! It’s T minus just a couple of days until we kick off what should be one of the most joyous times of the year.
Although the Holidays are supposed to be a time of celebration with family and friends ~ for most of us ladies, the Holidays can be really stressful knowing that we have to manage our already chaotic schedule while adding in all of the “to-do’s” of the Holiday season. Holiday shopping, cookie baking, ornament exchanges, teachers’ gifts, classroom parties, Holiday hosting ~ the Holidays end up being a time of burn out, frustration and LOTS of stress eating!
The good news ~ it doesn’t have to be this way! There’s actually A LOT we can do to dial back on the stress and find some calm among the chaos during the Holiday season and beyond and I want to share some of my top tips with you…..
Top tips to reduce stress during the Holidays
1. Find your personal no-fail, rapid relief de-stress technique.
This one is a personal favorite and a must-have-ready technique for all women. Find that ONE thing that ALWAYS provides rapid relief when you feel yourself spinning out of control.
Maybe it’s as simple as taking 5 to 7 deep diaphragmatic breaths (it’s hard to be stressed when you are deep breathing), perusing your favorite puppies of Instagram (at my daughter’s college, the University actually brings puppies on campus during final exams in an effort to reduce stress among the students), looking at pictures of a favorite vacation, your family or your dog, doing a 2-minute meditation, or listening to your favorite song. Just pick something that you can do anywhere, anytime that is a no-fail stress reducer.
2. Get comfortable saying “NO” without guilt.
This is a really tough one for most women….am I right? We don’t want to come off seeming like a *itch, so we often say “yes” at our own expense.
Do you really want to host or go to the annual cookie exchange or ornament exchange this year?
I often tell my clients that if someone asks them to do something and they can hear themselves saying “I should” rather than “I want”, “I’d love to” or “I choose to”, then it’s a red flag to say “No”. Don’t worry about disappointing everyone else. Worry about what works for you and your family. And if you have a hard time saying “No” then simply say, “Let me get back to you” and you get back to them with a “No” in a couple of days.
3. Do your best to simplify, delegate, eliminate.
This is a rather loaded one, so let me dive a bit deeper here…..
First, start thinking about whether you want to host the Holidays.
If the answer is “No” then can you ask another family member to take over this year’s gathering?
If the answer is “Yes” but you are stressed out about the planning and prepping, then can you do something to simplify or delegate? Maybe you cater the food, hire someone to clean your house, ask the kids to take on some of the cleaning, or do a potluck style dinner?
You don’t love your family any less just because you aren’t slaving over the house or the stove. And in fact, you’ll probably enjoy the gathering even more because you are not exhausted by the time everyone arrives at your doorstep.
Second, can you simplify the gift giving this year?
Let’s be honest here. The Holiday gift giving is completely out of control. Most of us tend to go way overboard when it comes to gift giving. And the truth is that the number of gifts we buy or the amount that we spend on gifts, has absolutely nothing to do without how much love we have for our family and friends.
The Holidays are supposed to be about simple gestures and time together, and simplifying in the gift giving department will not only dial back on the emotional stress of finding the “right” gift but also reduces the financial stress too.
Finally, is there anything else that you find particularly stressful during the Holidays?
If so, then start taking steps to eliminate those things that are not working for you.
4. Find one thing to be thankful for each day.
I know we talk a lot about mindfulness and gratitude these days, but both are really important in supporting our day to day selves. We run, rush and race through life at a rapid pace these days and we often forget to take time to be grateful for what we have. Reflecting on the day is a great way to reduce stress and find a sliver of peace in the day. One of my favorites is the One-Minute Gratitude Journal which offers a simple space to record one thing you have to be thankful for.
5. Incorporate nourishing rituals into your routine.
If you were to look at your daily schedule, do most of the things in your calendar or on your “to-do” list nourish your body and mind or do they drain you of your precious energy?
When we feel “filled up” and nourished we are much better at handling stress or other things that come our way during the Holidays or anytime!
For example…..talking with my best friend, a Netflix date with my hubs (we are totally binge watching Ozark right now) or a night out with the girls fills me up and gives me the nourishment that I need to tackle the week ahead, whereas taking on too many projects, waking up at 5 am to hit the gym, and spending my entire weekend at the mall to Holiday shop drain me of my precious energy.
You can download the FREE “Just Say No” workbook” (under the ‘Shop’ tab on my website) to tease out those things that nourish you versus the things that drain you of your precious energy. Then work toward increasing the “nourish” column while reducing the “drain” column.
It’s typical for most women to say “I’ll get to myself after the Holidays”, but I think it is critically important that you pepper in some slivers of self -care and nourishing routines during the Holiday season so that you don’t end up burnt out, stressed out, and resentful by the time the Holiday season comes to an end.
I’d love to hear from you! Do you have any tips or tricks to help your fellow superwomen enjoy this Holiday season?
