Eliminating Stress - Holiday Survival Guide

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Taking good care of oneself is very important. If we can build and maintain a lifestyle that leads to more happiness and energy, then everyone around us will benefit. Here are a few ideas that some of us may need to work on to have improved quality of life.
“So much time – so little to do”

It would be great if we could all say the phrase above, but in this hectic world we live in we sometimes finds that we take on more than we can cope with. Remembering this phrase may help when making choices, or when you are feeling overwhelmed.

Stress Elimination:
Look at eliminating stress – not reducing it.

Action Plan:
Keep down, or reduce, the number of obligations
Don’t make promises you can’t follow through with

Family:
Sometimes during holiday periods family members can become demanding of your time and energy. Holidays are to be enjoyed by you all, not just those around you.

Action Plan:
Set limitations and expectations up front
Ask for support when you need it
Set out a plan for making the holiday enjoyable for everyone
Remember it is a holiday – so no catching up on odd jobs!

Heath and Wellbeing:
Holidays should be for re-charging your energy, for enjoyment and pleasure, for smiling and feeling stress-free.

Action Plan:
Keep your time limited with negative people
Avoid family problems/issues until after the holiday break
If you are alone – to do volunteer work and make others smile - you will feel valuable!
Moderate yourself and the things you do

Personal Care:
If part of the holiday process is to relax and enjoy, what have you planned specifically for yourself?

Action Plan:
Pamper yourself
Make a list of things you really enjoy
Find more peace within

Ingestion:
What we put inside our bodies makes a big difference to how we feel.

Action Plan:
Choose only one indulgence
Drink more water – one glass for every time you eat/drink something you know you shouldn’t

Appearance:
By moderating and limiting expectations you will have more time to feel good about yourself.

Action Plan:
Exercise – try something different
Get dressed up – even if you’re not going anywhere!

Sustaining that holiday feeling:
Just because the holidays come to an end, doesn’t mean that the relaxed feeling has to go away.

Action Plan:
Write down everything that really made you feel relaxed and at ease
Create a list of activities/habits you would like to continue doing
Focus on five of these
Don't over commit - set realistic goals

Daily Practice:
Now you have an “Action Plan” to make every day feel enjoyable.

Action Plan:
Remember YOU are important – take special time for yourself
If you can’t quit something you know you should – moderate it!

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