It’s that time of year again! It’s time to overcommit, focus on buying stuff, stretch ourselves too thin, and totally stress out! It’s time to wonder if we remembered to brush our teeth in the morning while we wrap presents late into the night. It’s time to find THE. PERFECT. GIFT for all 175 people on your gift list. It’s time to wrestle your children into place while yelling at them to smile for the Holiday card pictures.
I, for one, have been guilty of all of this stuff within the past week. Well, not the wrapping the presents part because that would require me to have purchased any presents.
How about we try something new this year? How about we try to NOT stretch ourselves too thin? How about we keep the stressing out and freaking out to a bare minimum, m’kay?
I know, I know. That’s easier said than done. But in only a few minutes a day (every day if you need it), you can take a little chill pill and enjoy the season a little bit more. Here are a few ideas I came up with to keep holiday stress at bay over the next few weeks.
Thea’s Very Unofficial List of Ways to Keep Holiday Stress At Bay
- Listen to some music – This is very open ended. It can be any kind of music you want. Ironically, Christmas music makes me a little stabby so I try to stay away from it. Start with one song and see how you do. Dancing is totally option. Repeat as necessary.
- Dance – Yes, I list this separately. Sometimes I dance when there’s no music on because there’s usually a song running through my head.
- Take a Pinterest vacation – Sometimes all I want to do is get away. That’s not usually possible, so I like to head over to Pinterest and look at all the photos people take from around the world. Just seeing someplace peaceful usually makes me calm down.
- Take a vacation from Pinterest – Being glued to technology can not only be a huge time suck but it can totally make you realize all of the things you AREN’T doing. Seriously, you don’t need to hand make ornaments with popcorn and Mod Podge just because someone else is doing it.
- Smell something – I don’t know about you, but the right scent can totally chill me out. I prefer to keep candles and lotions around that smell like food. It’s nice to at least smell what I shouldn’t necessarily eat. This is one you can do while you’re shopping at the mall, too. Take 5 minutes for yourself and go check out the nice smelly stuff. It’ll help, trust me.
- Close your eyes – Sit. Take a deep breath. Count to 100. Take another deep breath. Smile.
- Use your brain – At some point during the day, try to get a little mental action in. Do a crossword or sudoku puzzle. Get out the crayons and color a picture. Read a chapter of a book. You choose.
Those are the quick little things I try to fit in to keep my holiday stress at bay. Do you do any of these things? Would you add any that aren’t already on the list? Hit us up in the comments!
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