How to Overcome the Overwhelm of the Holiday Season
And Reduce Holiday Stress
by Donna P. Lendzyk
The Holiday Season can be a wonderful time of year, filled with
lovely decorations, gift exchanges, visits with friends and
family and delicious meals. But for many of us, the Holiday
Season can also be quite overwhelming with all the added
activities such as decorating our homes, selecting, buying,
wrapping and exchanging gifts and hosting friends and family
while we prepare multi-course elaborate meals! The question is,
"What can we do to Overcome Overwhelm during the Holidays?"
1. Simplify Your Life
Holidays that are full of complexity are neither fun nor
comfortable. Complexity can easily contribute to feeling
overwhelmed. We can be invited to numerous events and want to
host others ourselves. These activities can be very wonderful
experiences, but there can also be too many to prepare for and
attend in a short time. You may also have to consider
selecting, wrapping and delivering gifts, decorating the house,
and, potentially, traveling to visit friends and family across
the country. Keeping the holidays simple with a manageable
number of events to attend and/or host, can greatly contribute to
Overcoming Overwhelm during the Holidays.
2. Practice Extreme Self-Care
In our fast paced world, often our physical bodies become the
last priority. We drag our bodies around nonstop and we can be
indifferent to signs of exhaustion. When we practice extreme
self-care, our mind, body and spirit are much more likely to
assist us in our other efforts by providing strong support
including energy, enthusiasm and presence. With extreme self-care
our energy is up, our confidence is high and we feel much more
positive. Some examples of self-care activities include
sufficient sleep, quiet time, exercise, healthy food, and joyful
recreation. Often during the holidays, some of our self-care
activities are put on hold with all the hustle and bustle of the
season. Taking proper care of ourselves during the Holiday
Season can contribute greatly to Overcoming Overwhelm during the
Holidays.
3. Celebrate the Unique You
Sometimes there are "should" or "must" dos on our to-do list that
we really don't enjoy doing or don't leverage our best skills.
We can end up delaying or not completing these activities. Or if
we take these items on, they can contribute to frustration or
overwhelm. Instead, we can consider whether there is someone
else who can take care of the item for us or determine if the
activity really needs to be done now.
There are many events and activities that we can participate in
during the holidays on top of regular life activities. If we
don't know what we really want during the Holiday Season, then it
will be much harder to say no to invitations that do not align
with our desires. A great place to start is to clearly define
our preferences in writing. By sharing our vision of the ideal
Holiday Season with our life partner, asking him or her what
their desired Holiday Season looks like and integrating these two
collaboratively, you have a plan the two of you can action and
support together for the Holiday Season. Celebrating the Unique
You, by respecting and celebrating your desired Holiday Season,
can greatly contribute to Overcoming Overwhelm and experiencing
more power, serenity and joy during the Holiday Season.
About the Author:
Donna P. Lendzyk is a professional coach and businesswoman who
guides women to Overcome Overwhelm and Achieve their Desired
Results. She is the author of new multi-media "Overcome
Overwhelm eProgram." Do you need any FREE strategies on
Overcoming Overwhelm & Achieving Your Desired Results? Sign-up
and receive "Overcome Overwhelm Secrets". This free, informative,
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