Holiday Stress

"There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full." Henry Kissinger

Week 18 

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a bit stressed about the coming weeks. There’s Christmas gifts to buy, holiday goodies to bake, exams to grade, final grades to complete, soup suppers at church, decorating that needs to be done, shopping to do and more shopping to do.  I can feel my blood pressure rising and my anxiety level climbing. And although Black Friday is over, it’s really just the kick off day for the great American Stress Out!  

A recent survey by the American Psychological Association, states nearly 50% of all women in the U.S. experience a heightened sense of stress during the holidays. Approximately 60 percent report feeling sad or nervous, and over half report symptoms of fatigue. So…I guess I’m not alone if I’m feeling anxious and overloaded.

Because of that, I have been waffling on what to do for this week’s small step.  In the midst of all the Christmas mania, who has time for another small step? My schedule is already full!

But then it came to me.... my small step can be managing that stress I feel. I can work on decreasing the anxiety and replace it with joyful anticipation. I can jump off that fast moving train and stop and take respite along the way. I can enjoy the exhilaration of the Christmas season, and yet not get sucked up into the eye of the storm.  

And…I can work on staying calm and relaxed over the holidays by using my BASIC principles to do it!

Remember the Basic principles I adopted at the beginning of my experiment:

B-begin it now

A-attitude that’s positive

S-keep it simple

I-Make it intentional

C-use creativity

B- I will begin it now.  So, after I write this blog, I won’t speak of having holiday stress in my life.  One of my favorite sayings is: “The words I say create my reality”.  So it makes sense if I want my life to feel less stressful, I need to use words that express positive feelings about the holiday season and I will begin it now.

Attitude - Christmas is really such a blessed time.  The minute I find words of stress coming out of my mouth, I need to replace them with statements about the positive aspects of the holiday. Each day I need to think about the wonderful memories I have of Christmas' past.  I should also take the opportunity to remind myself and others of the many blessings the Lord continues to shower down on us.

Keep it simple- A few years ago I adopted a Christmas theme of ‘Less is More’.  I like that idea and will extend it through this holiday season.  Less decorations, less shopping trips, less sugar and fat, less lying in bed at night and fretting about all the stuff I need to do…The less I do of those things, the more joyful Christmas will be; the more fun I’ll have shopping, the more time I will have to spend with my loved ones. and the more free I will be to breathe in and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Make it intentional – As my sister reminds me with her very wise words; ‘Think it through’. I will only go shopping if I first have a list. I won’t spend time perusing the isles in search of the perfect gift.  And, I will decide ahead what the cost will be for each gift.  That way I don’t find myself staring in shock at the credit card bill, long after the season is over. I'll also begin my busy days with lists that I can check off as the day goes by and see the progress I have made.

Use creativity- This year I’m going to purposefully be looking for more meaningful and new ways to celebrate the season.   Here’s where I hope you help me out.  Please share some fun, memorable tips that you have to de-stress and delight in the days before Christmas.

Small step…. I refuse to make this holiday season a stressful time in my life.  Instead I will initiate the BASIC principles to better ensure that for this holiday season I’m not tied up in knots, but rather wrapped up in the magic