Even though this article is about managing holiday stress around the holidays, the information can be applied year-round to any family gatherings.
One of the key points in this article – take control over the holidays rather than letting the holidays control you. Again, this is important in everyday life. More will always come at us and we can let it control us, or we can slow down and have more control over everything coming our way.
One thing many of us get stressed out about during the holidays is gift buying. While Greg and I had an idea for Christmas gifts earlier in the year and we both agreed that we liked the idea, we didn’t do anything until much later in the year. So late in fact that we would have needed to rush around the week of Christmas to get everything finished and mailed. Instead, we decided not to do that. Most everyone we send gifts to are adults. I wouldn’t mind getting a gift late, so hopefully they won’t mind either! This is just one example where you can let the holidays control you or you can take control of them.
Also, as I said in last week’s post, I am not one for a bunch of holiday traditions. I don’t need to eat the same things every Thanksgiving or Christmas. I don’t need to get with my parents on the exact holiday so long as we spend quality time together close to the holiday. Maybe this is because I don’t have kids of my own. Regardless, I believe that this has helped the holidays be less stressful for me. Is there stress? Absolutely. We can’t avoid stress; stress is. However, we can manage it.
What are some ways you take control to manage your stress around the holidays?
WebMD – Home for the Holidays: Tips for Stress
1/2/16 Note – We mailed all our Christmas gifts yesterday. Even though Christmas is past, we still felt like Santa and had a lot of fun wrapping, boxing everything up, and shipping it off. How fun will it be to receive a gift a week after Christmas, when you don’t expect it?
