10 Tips to a Stress Free Holiday

Navigation: Main page » Holidays

 Print this page Submit articleComment article

Author: Beth Tabak

Article source: http://morganarticlearchive.com/. Used with author's permission.

"The stress-free way to enjoy the holidays is to plan, take one step at a time, and have a sense of humor." Beth Tabak

Can you feel the holiday jitters beginning? Suddenly there it is right around the corner. Relax! Take time to plan well now and ease into the holidays with a big smile. Grab a journal and pen, and let's get started.

1. Reminisce over previous holidays- In your journal create a column for What Works and another for Not That Again. Under What Works list the activities that bring you joy, come naturally, and click into place. Under Not That Again list your challenges. Jot down the things that drain your energy and bring you down. What can you do to delegate, dump, or change the items in the Not That Again column and embrace more of the activities in the What Works column? What changes need to be made?

2. Choose a theme you can be excited about- What is important to you this holiday? Base your theme on that. If you want to stay home instead of traveling your theme could be "Home for the Holidays". If your budget is tight consider "Simply Sensational". Your theme helps you stay focused. A theme that honors your spirituality could be "Faith and Family First". Or choose a favorite quote such as Mahatma Gandhi's "Be the Change You Wish to See in the World". Get creative, have fun, and write it down.

3. Set your top 4 priorities- Base them on what you really want which should connect with your theme. Get crystal clear. Write them down. When you know your priorities you are able to respond easily to a request and set boundaries. When someone asks you to get involved request 24 hours to respond. Look at your priorities and see if it serves them. If it does, consider it. If not, the answer is likely no.

4. Create a Map- What if you took a big trip without planning? You would likely get lost, waste time, and experience anxiety. It makes sense to plan at the holidays when so many areas of our lives are effected: time, energy, personal care, relationships, physical environment, and finances. Consider creating a task list thru the end of the year. It takes a block of time but will save you time and stress. It will rescue you from running in circles, going back and forth to the same place, and trying to remember what's next. In the past I've had hundreds of items on my task list. No wonder we get stressed when we attempt this in our heads. Here's a tool to help. Pick up a task list at www.StartingNowCoaching.com or create your own. On your computer create a chart with 4 columns. Use your theme for the header. Under your theme list your priorities horizontally. Label the columns in a way that is helpful to you. I use Business, Personal, Holiday, and Need List. Use small font and minimal margin space to fit as many rows as possible. Print your map. List your tasks and add on as they come to you. Keep your map with you at all times. Schedule time to carry out the tasks. Have fun and build momentum as you make progress. Remember to save it for next year.

5. Simplify- Every task must be handled. You can do it, delegate it, or dump it. Eliminate what does not serve your priorities. What can you get help on and delegate? This is a good time to get rid of those items on your Not That Again list. Hire someone to decorate or a housekeeper for the month. Have everyone bring a dish instead of you doing it yourself. Get your family involved and remember that things don't have to be perfect. Let go. This will give you the space to embrace what you truly enjoy.

6. Set a budget- Develop a budget that feels good. There are lots of ways to make a holiday special without adding stress to your budget. Show people they are appreciated. Plan family fun and activities. You can let someone know what is special about them in a card, letter, cassette, or video. Get creative. Every year I have one gift for the kids to find. I wrap empty boxes inside each other. When they open the last box there is a clue telling them the next step. Don't let a tight budget steal your joy. Make it fun!

7. Set boundaries- Decide now what you will not tolerate. Write it down. Remember your Not That Again list? Is there someone who ropes you into things you don't want to do? Have the conversation that's overdue. No is no. If someone keeps asking after you said no, they are attempting to control you. Setting boundaries is about educating people on how they can treat you. Is there someone you need to educate?

8. Schedule time for planning and yourself- When is a good time to update your plan? When can you take time for you? Put it on your calendar each week thru the end of the year. Keep the appointments. Add this line to your daytimer as a reminder: "I have an appointment in honor of myself this ______(day) at __:__ (time) to do something special for me because I sooooooo deserve it!"

9. Give in a way that gives you joy vs. obligation- When you give in a way that comes naturally to you, you stay in integrity with who you are. Therefore, you are able to share your own special gifts with others. When you are doing what you love life clicks. If there is a situation you are dreading, think about how you can tweak it and handle it in a way that would bring you more joy.

10. Take action now- Begin today so that you are tying up your last bows well before the pitter patter of hoofs on the rooftop. Keep your holiday journal and map close at hand. The sooner you complete your tasks, the sooner you can sit back, smile, and enjoy the season!

What I want for you is to take action to move one step forward to prepare for the holidays...Starting Now!

Please send your thoughts and comments. I would love to hear from you.

Copyright 2002, Beth A. Tabak. All rights reserved.

Beth Tabak is a Business & Life Coach, columnist, & owner of Starting Now. She is 100% committed to coaching small business owners and professionals to grow beyond limits while creating the business and life they keep thinking about. For free informative classes, resources, ezines, and Holiday Task List stop by http://www.startingnowcoaching.com.

startingnow@houston.rr.com

How to Plan a Successful Dinner Party Menu
Giving a Successful Dinner Party requires Planning. Here is some help with the menu!

The Smell of Sex and More
Research is proving common sense and mystical appreciations are true in all areas of life.

How to Win a Million Dollars Without Spending a Lot of Money
The Major Millions online jackpot, like the lottery, is a longshot of epic proportions. So what's the best strategy for an online slot player to take to try to ...

Milk Ranked Among the Top Eight Offenders for Food Allergies
Cow's milk contains over 25 different molecules, which have the potential to elicit an allergic reaction. No wonder milk is repeatedly ranked among the top eigh...

Speed-up Your Sales Cycle
Article discusses how to speed up your sale by moving the pain that you are offering to solve near the top of the prospect's priority list.

Five Ways to Turn Resistance into Opportunity
Resistance. It isn't something people cherish or enjoy encountering. We experience resistance everywhere at work. I've had leaders and supervisors tell me tha...

Check Fraud and Verification
As a consumer it is important you protect yourself from check fraud. Fortunately when writing checks and buying checks there are a number of things you can do t...

Preparing For An Interview
When preparing for an interview, you need to know your skills, experiences and achievements, and how to answer interview questions.

How To Stay Safe with a Strong Sense of Confidence
Article about Self Esteem.

Antioxidants
Free Radicals can be enemies or friends. The key is to maintain a homeostasis between free radicals and antioxidants.

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Raise Your Frequency with These Divine Gifts
We have been provided with many amazing tools to assist us in raising our frequency higher so that we can emerge from the turmoil of duality into the harmony of...

Weight Loss Psychology- Sticking to an Exercise Program!
The only way you will follow through on an exercise program is to be sold out.

Entangled in the World Wide Web
From the first day I learned to surf the Internet, I became impressed by it. I could not recall whether it was the incredible amount of knowledge that can be fo...

Postpartum Depression - Recognizing The Signs
Postpartum depression can easily be unrecognized and untreated. This article provides a new mother with the information she needs to know about postpartum depre...

Spyware – Your Web Browser is the Culprit!
Browser Help Objects are a good thing… most of the time. Using a BHO to load spyware is a very common practice. Find out how to remove it!

Trinkets, Lockets And Empty Pockets
It never ceases to amaze me how many people set-up a website, without any type of plan or clue about how to promote it, how to write a sales letter, how to wr...

4 Ways to Double the Power of Your Business Cards
Tips to ensure that your business card will be kept, remembered, and placed at the top of your prospects stack of cards. Get the maximum leverage out of your c...

Get More Web Site Traffic From Search Engines
Considering all of the money you spend on promotion and advertising, wouldn't it be great to build a steady stream of web site traffic from the free search engi...

Financing a Home With Bad Credit
Here are some things you can do to help the loan process go smoother when seeking a bad credit mortgage loan.

Stop Your Employee From Becoming Your Competitor
You know the routine. You've hired an eager individual willing to come onboard and learn the business. You've taught them, trained them, worked hand in hand and...

Bushs Election Victory: Ethics, Morality and Religion Defeated War, Economy and Foreign Policy
President George W. Bush has unofficially won his re-election bid defeating Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry. The election was close, no doubt, but it w...

Bishoprics
You might be amazed at the opportunity to make money and enjoy sex or other power and control inside the celibate and spiritual church.

Have You Missed Your Soulmate?
Ultimately successful soulmates aren't just born at some point in time or space to hook up by sheer coincidence. They are made over time to be with each other f...

7 Secrets For Beating Writers Block
Most people can easily identify with the dreaded "writer's block". It is a well-known phenomenon that just about everyone has faced at one point in their lives....