Managing Stress During The Holidays

The holidays are coming and for most of us this can cause extreme stress. Stress over whose coming to dinner, stress over what food to prepare, stress over great aunt Margie and her incessant criticisms and comments. It all adds up, and can take a toll on you and even ruin your holiday.

Following these few simple steps could help you stay out of the crazy bin this holiday season.

Sleep – Rest up as much as you can before the big dinner. The lack of sleep can compound stress and make it even tougher on you to keep your cool. We all need to relax and recharge and sleep is the best way to do this.  Well, sleep, and maybe a nice big glass of something to take the edge off ;)

Boundaries – Set your boundaries, cut off the amount of people who are coming and who want to invite more people they know. Having a proper head count can help tremendously while planning the meal. Stick to your guns!

Count to 10 – This old adage is so true, if you feel yourself about to snap and strangle someone, take a moment and count to ten. Lets face it, family can be a HUGE source of stress, take a moment, collect yourself and repeat the mantra “I will get through this!”

Bygones – Let it all go. There will no doubt be a family member who loves to make snarky little comments; you know you have one of those people in your family, we all do. The best way to approach this is to just ignore, ignore, ignore. If they see it hasn’t gotten you up in arms, or frazzled, they will eventually stop.

Dole Out Chores – Assign people duties, get the kids to set the table, have Aunt Margie help with dinner so she stays busy and not a busy body, get everyone involved so you don’t have to take it all on yourself.

Give Thanks – Whether it's Thanksgiving, or Christmas we need to take the time to give thanks for what we have in our lives. Go around the table and have everyone state what he or she are thankful for, don’t forget to remember those who have passed to keep them in spirit.

After all is said and done, you will have had a nice stress-free holiday meal and really be thankful for what wonderful memories you created.