Ending Holiday Stress

Ending Holiday Stress

You might remember the day Santa Claus brought you your
first bicycle. It had green handlebars and seemed to shine
under the Christmas tree lights.

It was hard to believe that the present of your dreams had
actually arrived.

You knew you’d always remember it as the best Christmas
ever.

Fast forward a few years. It’s Christmas week, and you’re a
basket case. You don’t think you’ll ever be able to finish
all the shopping, the wrapping, and the decorating in time
for the big day.

You also have visits to make, cards to send, and donations
to mail out. You are dealing with full fledged Christmas
stress, and it shows no signs of abating.

The stress of the holiday season can be trying in the best
of circumstances.

But if you’re dealing with other major stressors, such as
the recent death of a loved one, holiday stress can seem
unbearable. You might be so tense that you cannot enjoy any
holiday-related activities.

You might snap at your children or your spouse, and you
might find yourself unable to focus at work.

There are many causes of holiday stress. To begin with, you
might be striving to fulfill unrealistic expectations.

You might have a perfect postcard view of the holidays a
vision that no human being could expect to realize. Your
impressions of holidays might have been formed by the
movies, where families gather around a tree and sing
Christmas carols in perfect harmony.

Another common cause of holiday stress is having too many
people on your Christmas list. You might expect yourself to
buy for not only members of your immediate family, but also
for teachers, friends, distant relatives, and co-workers.

You don’t want to leave anyone out, so you create a list
that even Santa Claus would find difficult to fill.

You might also be suffering from the stressed out host
syndrome. You might have been elected to hold Christmas
festivities at your house, and you’re panicked.

You’re striving to decorate the house, trim the tree,
grocery shop, bake cookies, and prepare fudge. You don’t
know when you’ll have time to string the lights in front of
your house, or to mount the Christmas cards on the
fireplace.

Family members might be contributing to your stress. Your
children might be demanding the latest video games, even
though you’re budget will never accommodate them.

Your mate might be demanding that you increase your share
of the holiday chores. Your parents might be demanding to
stay a week or more at your house, creating further tension
for your household.

The fact is, you can enjoy the holidays while reducing your
stress level considerably. This begins with engaging in
some pre-holiday planning.

Write a list of your goals for the holidays. What do you
really want to accomplish this year? What can you
realistically do on your own, and what will you need help
with? Putting your aims in writing can help to give you
some peace of mind.

It’s also important that you set your own agenda for the
holidays. Don’t let other people dictate the agenda for
you. In this way, you can ensure that your needs are met,
before you attempt to fulfill the needs of others.

Chances are, your goals are not to buy presents for
everyone you’ve ever met or to get out every decoration
you’ve ever owned. Rather, your goal is probably to have a
safe, festive holiday where you, your family and friends
can enjoy the festivities.

Realizing what your true goal is, and mapping out a way to
get there, can help to reduce your stress.

There is no denying that holidays make additional demands
on your time. However, through appropriate time-management
techniques, you can work to ensure that you are not
overwhelmed by responsibilities.

If you have a difficult task to face, consider enlisting
the aid of family and friends. Sharing the load can reduce
your stress level remarkably.

Also, you have to strike the idea that you must have the
perfect holiday. Instead, strive to create a holiday that’s
good enough good enough to make you smile good enough to
bring joy to your loved ones.

Also, spend at least part of your holiday preparations
doing some good for someone in need. You’ll find the
experience rewarding and it should help you to better cope
with holiday demands.