It’s the most wonderful time of the year…yeah right! For me, the holiday season is probably one of the most stressful times of the year. I’ve always had a little joke with my husband telling him “Merry Chaosmasis” because Christmas always feels like a chaotic tornado of family, shopping, cooking, parties, and more.
According to the American Psychological Association, holiday stress has a particular impact on women, who often shoulder the brunt of familial expectations, whether it’s shopping, cooking, or simply trying to make sure everyone is happy. In fact, 44% of women report an increase in stress around the holidays, versus 31% of men.
I’m not going to get into what stress can do to our health because we all know it’s not good. I LOVE Christmas though, and really want the excitement and anticipation I felt when I was younger back. So this year I’ve decided to take back Christmas and not get stressed. Below are some things I’m going to tryout this year. So if you too get stressed over the holidays, try them out with me.
- Get some sleep. I know that I do and feel my best when I am fully energized. Go to bed at a reasonable time. No online shopping at all hours of the night. I have found that setting an alarm for bedtime helps remind me that it is time for bed.
- Shop during none rush hours. I hate crowds and being around crazy shoppers stresses me out. Hire a babysitter and go shopping during the middle of the week when stores aren’t as crowded.
- Prepare food ahead of time. I’m all about freezer meals. Have you heard of once a month meals? Well if you haven’t checked out then you should. They have tons of great recipes on their site that are all picked and designed to be freezer meals. I just noticed they have a whole holiday food line up. Score! http://onceamonthmeals.com/countdown-to-christmas-25-holiday-freezer-favorites/
- Plan ahead and set deadlines. Because I am an extreme procrastinator, I have to set myself deadlines. Otherwise I will be up all night long wrapping presents on Christmas Eve, and then be a zombie all day Christmas.
- Set reminders on phone. With so much going on over the holidays it is easy to miss things that will cause me to have even more chaos. For example, that silly Elf on the Shelf. I can’t tell you how many times I forgot to move that silly little elf last year. This year, I have an alarm set to go off about an hour after my kids bed time to remind me. And no our elf doesn’t get crazy (who has time for that???) He just moves around from place to place which is all I can handle.
- Simplify traditions. It is fun to have some holiday traditions with your kids, but trying to do it all can be crazy stressful. NO, you don’t have to do a holiday chain, advent calendar, Elf on the Shelf, do the 18 million holiday crafts, or go to every holiday activity around the valley. Just pick a few and stick to the ones that are easy and centered on spending time with each other.
- Enlist help. I’m going to outsource some of the work to my husband. This year I had my husband decorate the tree. It was hard to relinquish this job because I’m a slight control freak. But he surprised me and did a really good job. (I only had to switch a few decorations around when he wasn’t looking.) I may even let me help with some of the wrapping…maybe.
- Budget spending. Stick to the budget. This is always a tough one for me and I would like some tips on how to do this.
- Make “me” time. Do something special for yourself. And it doesn’t have to be a gift. One of my favorite holiday traditions is as soon as the kids are in bed, I pour myself some wine, turn on Sarah McLauglin’s Christmas album, shut out all the lights except those on the Christmas tree, and just relax.
Even with the added stress and chaos, I still love Christmas. Please feel free to share any other tips that would help reduce holiday stress. Wishing all you moms out there a wonderful and stress-free holiday!
