Be Social!
Hey Loves!
The Holidays can be an absolutely crazy time of year, with all the shopping, cooking, eating, preparations and ofcourse all of the family interaction. Dealing with your fair share of Holiday Stress is completely normal right? For most of us it seems as if it should be, but an important part of making it through the holidays with all of your sanity intact and without a chip on your shoulder is managing your holiday stress and taking care of yourself! As I have mentioned before this fall semester I have been taking a class on Stress Managment and last week my teacher gave us a handout and went over ways to manage holiday stress and I wanted to share it with you!
Do What You Can!
Too Much Food. Too Much To Do. Too Much Everything.
Tisn’t the season of excess. Atleast it shouldn’t be. Having too much to on you plate (literally and figuratively) will overwhelm. Be aware of time constraints on yourself and your schedule. Don’t over-book yourself or stretch yourself too thin.
Set a Budget!
Too little time, too little money, too little patience!
Tis the season of giving… there is no greater gift than giving yourself, your time and effort. Be reasonable. With yourself and others…and know that there is always more we could do…no matter what. So stop at what is reasonable for you! (PS: Sales are a great thing, check out Stiletto’s Holiday Sale Guide!)
Make A List!
Being prepared can help!
After making your list let go and trust the priorities will get finished. Plan ahead and order online if you can! Don’t overload your list. 3-5 errands is A LOT for one day!
Expect Things To NOT Go Smoothly!
Practice being in the moment.
Expect to fail, expect to laugh, expect change. Don’t try to squeeze that one more thing in UNLESS you have time for it NOT to go smoothly! Also be NICE! You don’t want to feel bad later for behaving poorly~ that’s just adding stress on top of stress!
Eat Well!
Eat, drink and be merry…and tomorrow feel like I wanna die????
Your body needs help! Make good food choices by eating intuitively and drink choices. One day of overdoing it won’t likely kill you…but day after day and you may wish it had. Have a little of everything instead of a lot. Small intuitive portions (LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND YOUR CRAVINGS), and a long walk can do a body good!
Count Your Blessings/Show Gratitude!
All is calm….
What’s the good news? What has this year given you? What have you learned if it’s been difficult. Focus on the positive in your Holiday situations and lead with an easy going heart!
Assess Your Traditions!
Traditions should feed you, not drain you.
Do you enjoy what the tradition is? If the answer is no, can you change it, or scrap it?
Sit With The Saddness!
It’s part of the holidays.
We all experience sadness in the holidays because we remember those who are not with us. If we try to avoid the sadness we will either run around like chickens with their heads cut off, spend too much, drink too much, or eat too much. If we sit and acknowledge our sadness as a normal part of ourselves the holidays will be far less stressful and we will be able to return to joy.
Find Time For Stress Managment!
A little bit goes a long way.
Just 10 minutes in the car, resting your eyes, 5 minutes of deep breathing, an evening in jammies in the couch, a hot bath, music and stretching or whatever your productive coping method of choice can give your body the energy that it needs to handle all the business! It also gives your brain a chance to refocus. Practice affirmations of patience, goodness and tolerance this Holiday season, it can go a long way for all the people you come across.
Remember To Laugh!
People are pretty funny if you watch them.
If you are going to be forced into being arond a lot of folks, find something to laugh about. Be an observer. It’s pretty amusing when you step back and let em go!
When All Else Fails…
Get out of yourself.
Often being of service to others and searching for ways that we be give back helps to keep it all in perspective. Let that driver cut you off and drive slowly. Let others in front of you in the grocery store. Even these simple things can help. Looking for others in need can often put our needs into perspective.
How do you manage your holiday stress? What do you have planned this holiday season and how will you take care of yourself?
xoxo
Stiletto
Be Social!
November 30th, 2011 
Stiletto Siren 
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