Ah, the holidays are already here! (Or at least that's what it feels like!)
I know Halloween has come and gone, but the majors are just around the corner and I'm sure you've already come to find you're stressed out. It happens, just like it does every year, but how do you deal with the pre-holiday stress when it enters the scene?
1. Say NO
This is probably the hardest thing to do, especially if you're in the "holiday spirit." As much as I would love to see ALL my family during the holidays its not always possible — especially when I have to factor in my fiance's family, too. As hard as it is, you must learn to say NO to too many plans and too many dinners so you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. If you've got a large group of friends, try scheduling one holiday party instead of individual dinners. While good planning (leading to my next tip) can help with this, learning to say no will help you get through this holiday season with ease.
Image via www.principalspage.com
2. Prioritize, Plan and Start Shopping now
My friends think I'm crazy because I started Christmas shopping before Halloween was even over. However, I plan on having a super-busy end of the year with work, and the last thing I need to worry about is buying gifts at the very last minute. With both your work and the time you're going to be taking off, you need to prioritize things that are important to get done now so that you're not scrambling at the last minute. Plan out your holidays by considering these details: where are you going to be staying? — and is your flight booked? While this all may seem obvious, I bet none of you have this done yet…right?
3. Breathe
We know that it's chaos everywhere for the holidays, so it's best to accept it now. I came to the conclusion last year that even though I do shop early, plan ahead and prioritize, it still doesn't stop all the chaos from happening. There will always be the flight you can't get on because of the blizzard, but at least I met the deadline on an article I needed to get to.
To help with the stress and chaos, try meditating or just doing a simple 5 minute breathing exercise when you're feeling the most stressed. You'll find you'll actually enjoy the holidays more rather than watching them fly by and not knowing what happened.
Photo credit go2uttyler.blogspot.com
What do you do to cope with holiday stress? Let me know in the comments below!