How to Have a (Somewhat) Stress Free Holiday Season
The holiday season can surely be stressful! It brings with it so many extra demands such as shopping, cooking, and entertaining, just to name a few. I love the holidays as much as anyone, but itβs so easy to get wrapped up (no pun intended) in the perfection game. I want to buy everyone the perfect gifts, have the perfect tree and decorations, make the perfect meals, throw the perfect party, and the list goes on! The truth isβ¦nothing is perfect and itβs waste of time and especially emotion to try and make it that way.
Iβve been working hard on holiday content for Crazy Blonde Life and that definitely includes a lot of making-things-look-perfect pictures and creating of gift guides. While I truly love what I do, I will be the first to admit that itβs a lot of work. I spend soo much time staging pictures, making videos and coming up with outfits that go on the blog. All of this is a creative outlet for me, but I know that it can appear that I have the perfect life if you only look at the pictures. If youβve been really reading what I write here on the blog, you know that my life isnβt perfect because Iβve been very honest and up front about things. Lately though, things have been feeling a lot better in my life (more about that later), and I think itβs been reflected in my content. Iβve loved coming up with the gift guides that Iβll be sharing, thinking about fun outfits and making cooking and style videos, but I know that for some the holidays can not only be stressful, they can be downright difficult and sad. Given that, I thought it might be nice to stop and talk about ways to reduce stress levels and focus on what is really importantβ¦spending time with people you love, and brightening the season for those that need your light!
Here are a few ways to reduce holiday stress and really enjoy this time of year!
ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FEELINGS
Sometimes, things donβt go just as you would have hoped. - loved ones canβt make it home or youβve experienced a death in the family. It okay to take time to cry or be a sad about the things that youβre grieving over.
REACH OUT AND HELP OTHERS
Volunteering not only helps brighten the season for others, it can also lift your spirits and bring more meaning to the holiday season.
BE REALISTIC
As I said above, there is no such thing as a perfect holiday and as families grow and change, the holidays change as well. Be willing to be flexible and understand that traditions and rituals can be different and even better. Iβm sad this year because Lauren and Chris and my precious babies wonβt be here until the day after Christmas. Iβll try to make the most of things by remembering that weβll just have Christmas morning twice and weβll FaceTime on December 25.
DONβT TRY TO BUY HAPPINESS
The holidays can be an expensive time for everyone. Remember that the greatest gift is spending time with those you care about.
PLAN AHEAD
Plan your menus and make shopping lists so you donβt forget anything when youβre at the grocery store (this can also be a real money saver).
DONβT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
If youβre feeling overwhelmed by the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, decorating, gift buying, etc. enlist the help of family members. Delegate jobs so that the burden of work is more evenly distributed. Itβs better to ask for help than to be bitter because no one offers!
LEARN TO SAY NO
This kind of goes along with asking for help. Sometimes, itβs best to just say no instead of saying yes and feeling resentful. You simply cannot participate in everything and youβll be much happier if you have a little downtime this year!
DONβT ABANDON YOUR HEALTHY HABITS
There is so much temptation and so little time during the holidays. With all of the added responsibilities, itβs easy to eat on the go and give up workout and meditation time. All of this only adds to stress and guilt. Taking care of yourself is more important now than over!
Take 10 minutes in the morning to be appreciative of what is good in your life.
Exercise every day, even if itβs just for 15 minutes (try one of my workout videos)
Keep up with your supplements and consider adding an adaptogen (adaptogens help expand your body's capacity to handle mental, physical and emotional stress) to help you handle stress.
Of course, youβre going to want to indulge in some delicious holiday treats, but itβs all about balance. Eat 1 or 2 bites of those delicious treats, or share with a friend. Try to sit down for meals (or make a smoothie in the morning) and be mindful of whatβs going in your mouthβ¦your hips will thank you in January.
Below are a few great quality supplements that will help with stress as well as gut health and sleep.
DONβT LET THE HOLIDAYS BECOME SOMETHING YOU DREAD. TAKE THE STEPS TO PREVENT THE STRESS AND CRAZINESS THAT CAN BE SUCH A PART OF THE SEASON. RECOGNIZE THE THINGS THAT TRIGGER YOU AND DEAL WITH THEM BEFORE THEY BECOME SO BIG THAT YOU HAVE A MELTDOWN. GET UP IN THE MORNING AND REMIND YOURSELF THAT WHAT YOU WANT IS PEACE AND JOY!