The holidays will be here before you know it. Clear the way for greater joy, love and meaning this year by "busting" these sources of holiday stress:
1. TOO MUCH TO DO IN TOO LITTLE TIME
This week, set holiday priorities with your family. Discuss what traditions to keep, which to discard, and which new traditions to try.
Make a holiday to-do list NOW and create a realistic schedule for when to accomplish each item.
Avoid overscheduling.
Ask family members for help with holiday tasks.
2. LONG LINES IN STORES
Shop via catalog or Internet, and avoid stores on weekends.
If you're shopping with small children, take along snacks, books, toys or other items to make waiting in line more pleasant. Or, if you're sufficiently uninhibited, sing a holiday song with your child.
If you're shopping alone, use waiting time to relax and and center yourself with meditation or prayer. Try directing your attention to your breathing at your belly. Or practice observing the people around you through the eyes of compassion, without judging. Give thanks or pray for healing, peace, or other concerns close to your heart.
3. DIFFICULT RELATIVES
Take some quiet time to develop a plan for taking care of yourself around relatives who "get your goat."
Invest in yourself by using a therapist to help create a plan to protect your boundaries.
4. CRANKY KIDS
Think "low key" for a happy celebration with little ones. Remember that your small child thrives on your undivided attention and has a limited capacity to adjust to adults' "needs" to hurry.
Protect your child's naptime and playtime.
Spend "floor-time" with your child every day.
5. COMMERCIALISM
Create family traditions that involve giving to those in need.
Focus on low-cost or no-cost holiday traditions.
Help keep children's expectations realistic. For example, you might say "You'll get about the same amount of presents as you did on your birthday."
6. BILLS
Decide on a holiday budget for entertaining and gifts.
If credit cards make overspending too easy, stick to cash for holiday purchases.
7. LOSS
If you have lost a loved one, the holidays may intensify your grief. Explore ways to cope at www.griefnet.org/library/articles/hfa-tips.html or www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=FL00055.
If "holiday blues" persist or seem particularly intense, don't hesitate to reach out for professional help. Your physician or clergyperson can give you a referral.
8. POST-HOLIDAY LET-DOWN
Spread out the fun at least through the end of school vacation by planning an outing or a fun time at home for each day. A little forethought and planning can go a long way towards making you glad the holidays are coming - instead of just being glad when they're over. Your wisdom holds the key to holiday joy.
© 2004 Norma Schmidt, Coach, LLC
Norma Schmidt, Coach, LLC, specializes in helping working mothers create balance. She offers workshops, teleclasses and individual and group coaching. She also edits "The Balance Point," a free e=mail newsletter. Visit http://www.NormaSchmidt.com to learn more.
Getting the right hotel to spend one~s vacation at is... Read More
Ho, Ho, Ho, Holiday greetings to you!Every year at this... Read More
Have you ever said "I wish we didn't have to... Read More
How many times have you heard a friend say about... Read More
If you're looking for ways to decorate your home in... Read More
Happy New Year! Around the world, this is a time... Read More
No matter what celebration you and your family will rejoice... Read More
If you are like me, you never know what to... Read More
What does holly, that untidy traditional greenery you just have... Read More
Candy canes are everyone's favorite holiday treat. Just think about... Read More
This is my daughter's first Christmas. Naomi will be nearly... Read More
This Father's Day, sit back and enjoy a nice cold... Read More
Depending on the age of your little ones, you may... Read More
The carving. The leftovers. The endless stuffing. Actually, you love... Read More
Abraham Lincoln said ? "All that I am, or hope... Read More
Have you ever thought what you would do without your... Read More
It's impossible to remember what gift is traditional for each... Read More
Do you know how to save money at Christmas and... Read More
Being alone for the holidays is a major challenge for... Read More
Originally this was going to be a list for my... Read More
Have you always dreamed of a Norman Rockwell Christmas -... Read More
1. Knowledge is Power. Whatever the area of collecting ?... Read More
It's time once again for the dreaded New Year's Resolutions.... Read More
As the holidays approach each year, more and more people... Read More
Do November's Thanksgiving experiences have you dreading the December holidays?... Read More
Did you know that after Christmas, Valentine's Day is the... Read More
Most people know that the 50th wedding anniversary is the... Read More
The glorious egg, with its deep links to Creation mythology,... Read More
Have you ever thought what you would have done without... Read More
If you were asked to name 10 reasons why you... Read More
Plan ahead this year for your corporate clients and associates... Read More
1. Keep a stack of directions TO your place for... Read More
Patty Lovelace Country MusicVerse #1 Through the back window of... Read More
What do you get for the man who has always... Read More
Is there any party more delightful than sweet 16? If... Read More
It's November 1st. You've walked into your favorite store to... Read More
Some of my clients dread the holiday season because it... Read More
It's not only the candy that puts smiles on kids'... Read More
Being alone is a challenge for many people. This challenge... Read More
How to develop and heighten rapport on Valentines Day beyond... Read More
It's a fact; most of us feel immediately stressed and... Read More
New Years Resolutions: Making them is a tradition -keeping of... Read More
Deecember is a cruel month. Christmas sales, decorations, advertisements -everyone... Read More
A free Christian ecard is comprised of inspirational quotes, musical... Read More
Let's admit it, the US and UK are both countries... Read More
- Christmas is responsible for more waste and consumption than... Read More
"Wouldn't you just know it," muttered my husband, Randy.We had... Read More
It's CHRISTmas!Where are the wise men?WOW - The wise men... Read More
Valentine's Day...the day of love right? Many years ago, 22... Read More
Last year, as I turned 50, (FIVE-OOOH!!!), I decided to... Read More
One of my fondest childhood memories is of my mother... Read More
Christmas time is finally here, and most people during this... Read More
One of my earliest memories involves a Fourth of July... Read More
Being alone for the holidays is a major challenge for... Read More
When I think of Valentines Day I think of Chocolates... Read More
The majority of people find themselves carrying additional fat once... Read More
Fathers Day is the one day of the year when... Read More
In theory Christmas is a time that is filled with... Read More
Infidelity is at an all time high. According to the... Read More
You've been nominated; or perhaps your family has issued a... Read More
Berry Manor Inn owner, Cheryl Michaelsen wouldn't admit it, but... Read More
Valentine's Day is often synonymous with lush velvety looking red... Read More
Halloween is "fright night" for humans not dogs. Screaming, running,... Read More
Forty years ago when I was growing up on our... Read More
What a great time of year! It's a time to... Read More
I remember just a handful of the Christmas presents I... Read More
Holiday |