While December is typically more hectic than November, we are getting ahead of the game with weekly November tips offering ideas on how to manage your stress.
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We all have some good things, our routine, that we do daily, weekly, or monthly, to help us manage our stress. And sometimes life gets in the way of these activities, right? Yep, we know it’s going to happen, we don’t always know when it is going to happen, which adds to our stress. That’s OK. When life gets in the way of our good activities, we need to get back to our routine as soon as we can because we know it works for us.
During November and December, my proposition is this: As much as you can, continue to do those daily, weekly, and monthly activities that work for you. Sure, just like everyday life, events will come up during the holidays that will take us off our routine. Again, do as much as you can to stick to your routines and when you fall off, quickly get back to it.
So, here are a couple ideas to help you stick to those good stress management activities.
- Consider writing down all these good activities that you do, whether daily, weekly, monthly.
- Place a “criticality” number next to each activity: 1 (must do); 2 (really good to do); and 3 (eh, this can slide).
- Schedule all of these activities on your calendar when you normally do them and start each subject with the #1, 2, or 3 criticality number you assigned to it.
Now, when you are asked to do something during the holiday months, first check your calendar. If there is a conflict with one of your good activities, determine which is more important. Better yet, is there a compromise where both can happen?
You know best what helps you manage your stress. Continue to do these positive activities throughout the holiday season. Some of these activities for myself and others include:
- Exercise
- Social time
- Relaxation / Prayer / Breath breaks
- Reading time
- Playing a game on your PC or phone, or an old-fashioned board game
- Watching a funny movie or television show
- Enjoying a cup of tea (alone or with someone)
What are some of your stress-reducing activities?
