The holidays can be a wonderful time of the year, but it can also be a stressful time of the year too! We get so caught up in wanting to get the perfect gifts for our loved ones, making sure we spend enough time with everyone, and dealing with frazzled holiday shoppers that we end up making ourselves sick from being stressed out.
Each year we try to get ahead of the curve, but for some reason it never seems to work out in our favor. We declare and decree that this time around things are going to be different, especially if you follow these simple stress-free tips! Check out 6 ways to be stress free for the holidays!
Stay Realistic
It is vital to be realistic! Being realistic with your money, your time, and most of all, your mental energy is so important. We tend to get caught up under the pressure of having to get things done under a certain time frame, which is great but it is important to understand the reality of your circumstances.
Set a budget, stay within it, and don’t stray away from it despite any sales that may catch your eye. Staying realistic with your budget will help you in the long run! You will not have to worry about pulling from credit cards to help you if you stay realistic with your budget and spending.
It’s also important to stay realistic with your time. As amazing as women are, we can’t do it all, all the time. Don’t overextend yourself by saying “yes” to too many holiday event invitations. Being able to say “no” when you can’t make your schedule work will help you stay stress free.
Make Time for Yourself
The holiday season requires you to use a personal planner and calendar frequently. The last thing you need is to wake up and realize there is no time in the day for you. Making time for yourself is just as important as making sure you hit up all the Black Friday sales.
If you have no time for yourself, you are going to burn yourself out and get irritable way too easily. We can all go from the jolliest person to the Grinch who stole Christmas in the blink of an eye, if we do not ensure time is set aside for ourselves during this holiday season.
Say No
I touched on this above, but it’s so important that I needed to call it out again! Your name is not Santa Clause, therefore you can say no whenever you want, wherever you want. Saying no means you aren’t going to stretch yourself thin, and will always be accountable for your own actions.
There are going to be plenty of holiday invitations coming your way, and sometimes you have to choose quality time over quantity. I would hate for you to feel obligated to attend every invitation and not really enjoy the holiday season for what it is really meant for. You may have to be selective and say no to some invitations, and that’s okay.
Give More Time, Less Gifts
The holiday season isn’t all about gifts. Worrying about what you want to give to who and what you want to receive from someone is not what the holidays are about. Avoid stressing out to get gifts for the entire family, especially when time is worth so much more.
Spending quality time with family and loved ones is worth more than an expensive bag. Time is the one thing you can not get back in this world, therefore cherish this holiday season and make memories that can last a lifetime. Round up your family for a Secret Santa exchange over dinner. That way you can still incorporate gift-giving, but the purpose is the time spent together.
Find Your Peace
Finding your peace amongst the chaos is one of the hardest things to do. I know it can get tough trying to find the perfect gifts, or spend your money wisely in order to get everyone a gift, but it’s important for you to keep your head grounded and do what makes you happy.
Finding peace can be anything as small as reading your favorite book, taking a candle-lit bath, or sipping your favorite beverage. If you aren’t at peace with yourself then you can count joy out of this holiday season. A lack of peace translates into an increase in stress, so let’s be peaceful!
Be mindful of what you consume
The holidays are a time to enjoy all of the yummy food and beverages, but constantly eating bad, or eating unhealthy things, will bring another layer of stress to your life. You’ll feel the consistent bad eating, and that could lead to decreased happiness levels. I’m not saying to avoid all the treats this holiday season, just be mindful of what you’re consuming and remember that you’ll have to work it off later!
Related: How to Stay Healthy During the Holidays
These simple and effective tips will have this holiday feeling like a walk in the park. While your other friends and family are stressing, you can sit back and enjoy your favorite hot beverage with no cares at all! Have you tested out any of these tips? If so, how much of a difference has it made in past holiday seasons? What tips would you share with the community that you have found to be beneficial in keeping you calm, cool, and collective over the holidays? Post a comment below to share!
