Tips to Get You Through the Holidays

Grabbed above picture from this site

The Holidays. Bah Humbug. Just kidding, I love the holiday season, but honestly, it can be an exhausting, emotional roller coaster! Too often, what should be a time of reconnection with family and a celebration of the past year turns into something that feels more like work than it should. Not to mention the mounds and mounds of food and sweets that you're often surrounded by (potlucks, parties, cookie exchanges, etc.), resulting in overindulgence, physical discomfort (i.e. hangovers and sluggishness), and guilt for having given into temptation. Then comes New Year's Eve which can sometimes be the last hurrah in overindulgence followed by strict, Puritanical New Year's resolutions that often get discarded by the middle of February. This year I've been trying myself to keep things in perspective and not let myself fall into the same habits of previous years. So I thought I'd share with you a few tips from my personal Holiday Survival Guide. And away we go!



1. Be joyful. Don't forget what the holidays mean to you, whether they have a religious meaning in your household or they're more of a time for family togetherness and a look back at the year's highs and lows. Try not to get bogged down by the Hallmark and Macy's side of the Holidays. Christmas and even Hannukah have become terribly commercialized by businesses looking to lighten your wallets in order to fatten theirs. Maybe my memory is incorrect, but I don't remember things like Black Friday Midnight Madness sales or Christmas decorations going up even before Halloween happening back in the day. These days, in retail stores, the holidays encompass nearly a quarter of the year! And to borrow from the previous holiday, take some time to give thanks for the blessings of the year.

2. Indulge. Within reason. It would be pretty Scrooge and Grinch-like of me to say no to every beautiful cookie, cake, and glass of wine or champagne offered to me this season and I'm certainly not going to tell anyone else to be so strict. It's the holidays, it's perfectly acceptable to celebrate via food and wine. The trick is to not go overboard. Have a plan before you go to a party of how much you plan to eat and drink and try to stick to it. Don't beat yourself up if you stray from your plan, just acknowledge where you might have taken a wrong turn and make up your mind to avoid those pitfalls in the future.

Try some mindfulness in your eating this year. Really enjoy whatever it is you choose to indulge in. Note the mouth feel, the aroma, the different levels of taste in each bite and each morsel. Be very present in your experience with your food and drink. Take your appreciation of your indulgence to the next level. How often have you sat down to have a meal either at home or at work only to look down and notice you've finished but barely remember what you've eaten?

3. Accept your limits. You're clearly not Superman or Wonder Woman and you certainly shouldn't try. You may have a lot of tasks in mind this holiday season including buying and wrapping presents, writing cards, decorating and cleaning the house, attending lavish parties, throwing lavish parties, making time for old and new friends, playing with your new niece or nephew, cooking an enormous gourmet feast for your in-laws, take a shower every once in a while, and probably continue to work a full-time job. Eek! Head for the hills! Who, other than Martha Stewart with her army of personal assistants, or Sandra Lee who I'm sure must be on some legal or illegal prescriptions to be that chipper and that energetic all the time, could possibly complete the above list without losing her mind? Not to mention the toll that shrinking finances is taking on your stress level! Take a deep breath and decide what's important to you and your family this season. Keep your own happiness and sanity in mind and whatever doesn't fit in, let go of it and be satisfied with yourself.

4. Exercise. Exercise is a totally accessible way to increase our happy hormones and feel physically healthy. Whatever regimen you currently do, continue it, don't let it fall off because of the holidays as long as you're able. Use that time to re-focus on yourself and forget about all of your to-do list and your worries of whether or not someone will like the bath set you bought them. And if you don't have an exercise regimen, start one now, don't wait for January 2nd! It might be cold, but bundle up and take a walk, enjoy the fresh air, practice a little bit of that mindfulness I mentioned earlier.

5. Keep the Peace. At least within yourself. This is a tough one, it deserves an entire blog post all to itself, but I'll take a shot at a short blurb. Holidays often mean family time and family time can sometimes mean fighting, tension, and tears. How is it that you, your siblings, and your parents are all adults and are fairly reasonable in your external lives but when you all sit down together at the dinner table, old habits and half-remembered battles rear their ugly heads? All of a sudden you're picking on your little brother again, he's over-reacting, your parents are yelling, and your sister is getting quieter, sadder, and eating more and more. This year, go home with a plan in mind. Consciously become aware of the intricate dance you and your family participate in more often than not and choose to not engage this year. Figure out where you can choose not to act or react or when you can turn a negative into a positive. Maybe the rest of your family will continue to do as they've done or maybe they'll follow your example. Either way, you are protecting your holiday and hopefully remembering to be joyful.

Well, that's all I have for you today! A few small tips that might make your holiday a wee bit more like a holiday, not something that you have to take a vacation from!