The 4 Commitments: Avoid Holiday Overload
Recently, I posted an update on Facebook asking what all of you would like me to write about. I received this response:
“coping with self-induced overload and stress…” –Cee Kay
I should have seen that one coming! Well, Cee Kay, your wish is my command…
This time of year brings so much joy and warmth, but it can also cause a lot of self-induced stress over financial, time, and family issues.
Faced with this dichotomy, how do we chill out enough to allow the joy and warmth in and avoid the overwhelming stress of the holidays?
Here are 4 commitments to consider over the next couple months to stay merry, sane, even peaceful. Imagine that!
Commitment #1. Get Help and Say “No”
Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner next week? Ask guests to bring things! One can bring the pre-binge munchies, one can bake a pie, another can prepare the cranberry sauce or a veggie dish…
So this year, when your guests ask you what they can bring, prepare an answer for them!
If you end up needing extra help when shopping gets too crazy, consider Task Rabbit or another form of outsourcing. Make a list, send it off, and get the best prices on everything!
A Task Rabbit will go do your physical tasks for you, whereas a virtual assistant (VA) over at elance can do your online shopping for you.
Need grocery shopping done the day before Thanksgiving? Post it on Task Rabbit. Need to get a Twilight-themed Monopoly (hint hint ;)) but haven’t the slightest where to start looking? Contact the VA!
If you’re planning to take advantage of elance, however, start sooner rather than later and try a few VAs out before committing a full Christmas or Hanukkah list to them.
In conjunction with the do-as-little-as-possible-to-keep-you-from-pulling-your-hair-out strategy, know when to say “No.”
If you’re preparing for your annual Christmas Eve bash, making your kid’s costume for the holiday play, and baking a pie for the office party, DON’T agree to take on another responsibility! You have to draw the line and you can’t feel bad for doing so.
A polite decline will be viewed in a much better light than going postal in front of your boss because the streamers didn’t turn out right for the white elephant exchange that you regretfully agreed to organize.
Commitment #2. Make Mini Budgets
By breaking down your budget, you won’t stress as much as you would looking at the full credit card bill post-January 1st. This way, you can see which areas you can cut and which are non-negotiable.
Make a budget for each one of these areas so that you don’t have one overwhelming number to look at:
•Airfare/gas if traveling for the holidays
•Baggage fees
•Snacks/meals at airports, on the plane, or at pit stops if you’re road-tripping
•Taxi/bus/train/toll/friend’s gas money to and from the airport
•Entertaining fees- food costs, decorations, drinks, games, dinners out if going to visit family, etc.
•Gifts- outline every person you’re buying for and how much you’re willing to spend on each one of them.
•Task Rabbit or Elance help
If you’re stressing about budget, consider these options:
•Make gifts for people that aren’t immediate family or best friends. Baked goods always go over well when spruced up with nifty wrapping. Last year I baked healthy pumpkin muffins using apple sauce and gluten-free flour… and they even tasted good! …No really! A few of my clients asked for the recipe!
•Prepare dinners for family you’re visiting instead of taking them out to restaurants. Plan ahead and tell them how excited you are to cook them your specialty. Build up the anticipation so that it’s even more special when you make it for them.
•Bring snacks with you to the airport or in the car so you don’t have to spend money on the way to your destination. Nuts, apples, and Think Thin bars are my staple travel food. I know that if I stick to those things, I’ll save money and keep my tummy happy. These options travel really well, too!
Commitment #3. Stay Active And Eat Healthy
Oh Amy, you HAVE to say that…
No no no, friends. I am saying this because it truly can help get rid of the winter blues and promote that joyful feeling that we yearn for so much at this time of year.
When you work out, you raise your happy hormones, you reduce stress, and you keep your metabolism revving so you can process your turkeylicious meals all the better.
A few personal trainer-y notes:
•Stay active through the whole season. You’ll feel more confident and make better choices if you are consistent in your routine. If it helps you, lay out a program for the next couple months so you don’t become one of those people that says, “I’ll just lose the weight in January.” Why not now? Don’t keep postponing your ideal life. Live it now!
•Work out hard the morning of big feasts. Your exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC) will activate, causing you to draw more of those calories to your muscles instead of to your spare tire. Read: less flab, more fab, and less daunting New Year’s Resolutions.
•Pick up your healthy eating routine the day after the feast is over. I know we all love holiday leftovers, but toss the things you’ve already enjoyed that you know are going to do more harm than good. You’ve had your share. Now stop. You know exactly where that’s going to go if you keep this up. Remember: your body doesn’t know that this is a special time of year- it will process food the same way it does every other season.
•During the feasts, let yourself have what you want, but maintain awareness. I know you’re going to eat those special foods that only come around at this time of year, so during those big family dinners, do it. Just make sure not to over-do it. Nothing ruins a holiday celebration like Uncle Matt hiding out in the crapper.
Commitment #4. Focus on The Joy
…Not the lines, traffic, credit limits, expectations, family idiosyncrasies, etc.
When you make the conscious decision to shift your focus to the positive aspects of the season, you are choosing to rise above the negative factors.
You can choose your focus.
So what do you want your holidays to look like?
Stressed out, disorganized chaos?
or
Joyful, peaceful, and warm?
It’s up to you now, folks. It can happen. Now just let go and let it happen.
Do you have any ideas to promote an inner-peaceful holiday season? Please leave them here so everyone can benefit from them! As always, if you have any questions about anything I’ve listed here, feel free to ask below and I’ll gladly write back!
photo 1 by faith goble, photo 2 by Nina Matthews Photography, photo 3 by Helga Weber, photo 4 by HowardLake, photo 5 by @paulapaulac, photo 6 by The U.S. Army, photo 7 by tttaaaooo
4 Responses to “The 4 Commitments: Avoid Holiday Overload”
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Great post Amy! So timely to help us stay on track as we enter this delicious season.
I just nominated you for the Leibster Blogging Award. Check out the nomination here – and congratulations! http://www.wellnessthenaturalway.com/2011/11/blogging-award-for-wellness-natural-way/
Thank you so much, Sarah! That’s great news!
good tips indeed for a joyful and peaceful holiday, Amy. (although it’s so not the holidays I’ve had – usually filled with chaos, theft and calories – not in that order)
I decided to try to the ‘be healthy thing’ over the holidays last year. so went skiing for the first time in my life over Thanksgiving break. yeah, it was a break all right…my ankle, my knee, my foot. ski instructors love to teach everyone to ski. they just don’t teach you how to stop.
I think your comments have gotten more witty, Vishnu!… and I LOVE it!
I would think the first thing to teach a beginner would be to stop! I’m sorry you had that experience. Whenever I’ve done snow sports (which hasn’t been for the last 12 years at least because I despise the cold), I found snow boarding to be more up my alley. I always got my skis crossed and fell so much more often than I did on a board. But I’m a board sports gal. :)