In a strange way that sounds like an anomaly. Can a holiday be healthy? How do you step away from the madness and find a path of least resistance?
Here are a few ideas that I’ve found make holidays less stressy. Take one or several and make the most of the upcoming holiday season with grace and ease.
Plan
Holidays come every year, so think ahead. Have some soups in the fridge for the unexpected visitor or when you don’t feel like cooking. Plan free time as well as get-togethers. The more gaps you can make in your schedule the better. This safeguards against constant hurrying from one appointment to the next.
Limit shopping
The constant barrage of holiday music, traffic and bombardment of “commercial mania” is stressful. Limiting your shopping experiences to a low roar. This gets back to planning, try to not save all the “to dos” till the last minute when everyone is shopping. Learn to delegate, give children and friends tasks, share the load.
Get outside
Being outdoors whether rain, sun or snow is refreshing. It recharges the batteries and keeps life in perspective. Take in a park or a trail you’ve been wanting to visit or just walk around your block.
Avoid foods that mess with blood sugar
Sugars and carbohydrates all raise your blood sugar. Thus, not only do they tell your body to store fat they put you on a roller coaster ride. All that up and down energy sets you up for crankiness and depression, negative influences on your mental and physical wellbeing.
Leave major changes till another time
Holidays are not the time to recreate the wheel. Certainly we all have lifestyle habits that could use a bit of clean up but holidays are not the moment for change. Enjoy spending time with friends and family, leave the new lifestyle or food habit till another time when there is less pressure.
Visit a person in need
Holidays are incredibly rough for many individuals. There is the financial pressure stemming from the idea that holidays are all about gifts. Then there is the mental stress that you are “supposed” to be with a group and or family. The list of stresses is endless, volunteering at a senior home or other location might just make someone’s day. This in turn will be a positive influence on you and your community at large.
Find a few minutes for yourself every day and do nothing!
Schedule what I call “zone time” for you alone, sit quietly and just breathe. Turn off all the electronic devices, close the door or go outdoors. Having a few moments to just be quiet makes the hustle and bustle of the holidays a little less overwhelming
Final note
While gifts can be a wonderful way to show your appreciation for a friend or loved one they are not a necessity. Finding simpler ways to spend your time and money can be a welcome dose of positive spirit during the holiday season. There is no price on spending time with yourself alone or with those you care about. Consider that a real holiday.
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley
