As the holidays approach, our stress levels can start to soar. Women in particular feel it as they often feel solely responsible for creating “perfect” holiday memories for their families.
Sometimes, a solution to less lies in gaining more perspective of a situation. Running late can push many stress buttons. But maybe the solution requires just a phone call stating you are delayed and perhaps keeping in mind that being late to your destination will not be the end of the world. I try to learn from the situation to understand what caused my delay to try to correct the situation for the future. This at least allows me to feel some productivity is coming from the situation.
For the holidays, my goal this year is to shop early, as in now. Normally, I get so absorbed in other areas, such as baking, that I delay shopping until it becomes stressful. Since shopping is generally not an activity I enjoy (I know, strange for a female), it becomes even more stressful when there is less time and more traffic and hassle. I will try to prevent that scenario this year. Also, I have to remember that this year I will be trying to do everything with an additional family member and newly-mobile infant as well. Yikes.
One quick, grounding stress fix for me is to repeat a mantra or affirmation in my head until I’m less stressed. I used this technique to give birth without drugs! Have a plan for dealing with difficult, stressed people during the holidays. Have an affirmation ready to repeat in your head and a plan to leave the scene if needed. With three pets I adore, just hugging or petting one helps a lot!
Women in particular can feel easily overwhelmed by the demands around them. Sometimes, just taking a brief break for a few minutes can make a world of difference. Maybe this means the kids are briefly occupied while we slip away to read a few pages from a book we are reading to escape or something spiritual that helps ground us. If we are feeling too negative, it may help to just seek some humor, such as turning to the comedy channel to get a few laughs and remind ourselves to not take life too seriously!
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