The Holiday season is meant for family and friends to come together and celebrate. It’s a time that creates happy, lasting memories. It’s also a time where stress can run high and we often find ourselves over committing:
Yes I will come to your holiday party!
Yes you can have that new gaming system! (That costs a mere $400.00)
Yes I will volunteer at the holiday show this year!
Whether it’s overspending on gifts, going to 4 different family member and friend’s homes for a Holiday meal/ event, it’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle that ‘tis the season.
- It’s ok to say NO!
The Holidays are meant to be enjoyed by everyone, including YOU! While so much of the season is about giving and showing those you love you care, it’s not to anyone’s benefit if you’re running yourself ragged. Not to mention it makes you dread the season!
So practice saying no and prioritize how you want to spend your time with your family and friends. Maybe instead of going to your friend’s party this year (that always fall the day before Christmas Eve) you could give them a phone call and wish them a happy holiday! Maybe instead of saying yes to volunteering to put the stage together for your child’s holiday show, you could donate some fresh baked cookies for after the show. (Much less time than putting together stage props!) Or maybe you just say no, because you simply just don’t have the time, and that’s OK.
Practice saying no to the things that truly don’t make YOU happy and feel fulfilled during the holiday season! It’s your time to enjoy the season too! It’s all about balancing our yes’s with our no’s.
- Plan ahead
This might sound impossible, but it’s not! I promise. Before invites start rolling in think of the yearly events that you typically go to. Decide which ones are the most important for you to attend and make those a priority. Anything else that comes along the way you can prepare yourself to say no.
After you nail down your holiday celebration priorities think about how you can get in some self-care. For me it’s making sure I find time for yoga. Even if it’s only for 10 min, I value that time for myself. That time helps me re-charge, get balanced and re-focus on my priorities. I know that if I don’t get that time daily, I get stressed, anxious and crabby. Not a fun person to be around during what’s supposed to be a fun season!
- Let go of your expectations!
With so much hype in the media it’s easy to get lost in the candy and sugarplum dreams of the Holiday season. Setting high expectations for holiday events, presents, of yourself to make the “most” of the season all can lead to depression and anxiety. So instead, give up the expectation of the perfect family dinner, those perfect parties and perfect presents. Go into the season with joy and stop envisioning those “perfect” picture moments. Try and go with the flow and enjoy every minute. No one is perfect, things typically don’t go as planned and that’s OK. Sometimes things can work out even better than expected, so why try and figure out the outcome beforehand?
The point of this blog is not to make you stressed, anxious or depressed for the upcoming season. It’s about making the MOST of the Holiday’s and letting go of the hustle and bustle. So please make sure you find time for yourself to balance all of the giving that goes on during the season. This year is the year for a healthy, happy and balanced you!
Have some tips you want to share for managing your time during the holidays? Tell me on my Yogival Facebook page.