I had an early Thanksgiving celebration with my family this past weekend and want to share the lessons I learned to help make your holidays a bit less stressful!
Because my family is so spread out, I don’t usual get to spend holiday time with them, so this was really the first time in a very long time that we all got together.
The two important LifeTOOLS I used heading in to the weekend were:
#1 KISS (Keep It Super Simple)
This was very effective in keeping my stress at a pretty low level!
I’ve been around others whose holidays have to be “PERFECT” and watched them strain under tremendous stress.
In fact, they were under so much stress they couldn’t even enjoy the celebration.
#2 – Gratitude
As I thought about the weekend and how different family members may interact with each other, I stayed focused on being grateful for the opportunity to have everyone together.
Of course, it can be easy to get lost in the “WHAT-IF’S” – especially if you have past holiday drama & fiasco – gratitude keeps you anchored in the present!
And while these two LifeTOOLS kept my stress levels low heading in to the weekend –
I didn’t do such a good job DURING the weekend…
It wasn’t until I found myself getting VERY ANGRY over the littlest thing that I realized I’d not been doing anything to manage my stress once everyone arrived.
For me, my #1 LifeTOOL is exercise and because I had company staying in the room where I have my exercise equipment, I didn’t do it at all.
The other LifeTOOL I didn’t use, & know would have made a BIG difference – “A Brain Dump”!
So here’s what I hope you can take away from my experience & use during your upcoming holidays…
Key #1
Take proactive steps heading in to the holiday by using the KISS Method and Gratitude to keep your stress levels low.
Key #2
Make it a PRIORITY to use the LifeTOOLS that work best for you so that your stress levels don’t begin to creep up on you during your holidays.
Key # 3
Have it in your mind & plan to use “The Brain Dump” at the end of each day, before you go to sleep. This way, you’ll be sure to release the stress and not carry it in to the next day like I did!
Lastly, I want to suggest that you copy and print this post so that you have it as a reminder to use these LifeTOOLS to manage your holiday stress!
~ To Living Well TODAY! ~
via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
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