This week I was ill which always sets me back and leaves me feeling a little anxious. I have planned, shopped, and been working on getting things ready for Christmas for a while now because I wanted to avoid the last minute rush of getting things done. I really want to enjoy my family and friends and not be the stressed out, ticking time bomb I have been in years past. You know the one that eventually snaps at the first person that says something innocent to me that questions my ability to do something correctly; probably my poor unsuspecting husband! Something awful like "Do you think the gravy needs more salt?" And I snap back "Well if you don't like the way I cook perhaps you should do it yourself, you know I was up all night while you slept getting this meal ready, perhaps if you would have stayed up and helped everything would be perfect!" As he stands there dumbfounded for asking a simple question.
I also have found in my weight loss journey that the more prepared I am ahead of time the less stress I feel and the less I am tempted to "grab" the first thing in sight to eat; which is usually something that isn't good for me. So I started thinking about how to reduce all the stress during the holidays and what I needed to do to enjoy the holidays and I think the secret, for me at least, is less IS more! Yes that's right. Slow down, don't say yes to everything.
1. PLAN first. Decide what you want to do...what's most important? If this didn't happen it would
have a lasting effect on your holiday. Put everything on a list and prioritize by importance.
2. Prepare ahead as much as possible. I wrap my present as I purchase them (no not at the store!).
As soon as I get home I wrap what I have purchased and put a name tag on it. I can go back later
and put bows, ribbons, etc. on if I don't have time but at least it's wrapped and I know who it's for.
3. If you're preparing the meal at your home make your shopping list ahead of time and purchase
things a little at a time a few weeks in advance so you don't have a huge shopping trip or a huge
bill all at once. Also consider letting others contribute to the meal by bringing something. I used
to do everything and it was very expensive and a lot of work. Yes I could control what we had
and make sure it was to my taste but it put a lot of pressure on me and didn't allow others to feel
needed and appreciated or allow them to provide dishes that perhaps were important to them and
their holiday traditions.
4. Ask others for ideas and help along the way. NO it won't make you look inept; it will make you
look like you care about others and their ideas. It will relieve a lot of stress and make them feel
like you value them.
5. Ask yourself...what on my list can I do today? Do one or two things each day and check them off
the list. It makes you feel a sense of accomplishment and you have so much done that there aren't
that many last minute items left to do and you can enjoy your time with family and friends.
I'm sure there are many of you saying "DUH" right about now but you are not the stressed out messes I usually am!! LOL Some of us are slow learners because we are so busy stressing that we didn't think about planning ahead. So PLEASE if anyone has any great advice about what works for them PLEASE SHARE. Comment on the post and help the rest of us! Merry Christmas to all of you and remember this is suppose to be a celebration of Jesus' birth not a commercialization our advertising industry and retailers would want you to believe!! Jesus would be very happy if we just got together with family and friends and shared a meal and loved one another!
God Bless,
Nena
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