Museletter #24: Stress-Free Holidaze? Nah. Just Prepare

 

December 2011

Stressed about holiday stress?

 

I was recently asked to come up with a couple of wellness tips to help people reduce stress over the holidays. My initial response?

 

Nah.

 

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two decades, you already know what to do to reduce stress, and you don't need a "professional" to tell you yet again to eat right, sleep enough, and exercise. And if you are ambitious or health conscious, you certainly don't need me to remind you to breathe deeply, meditate, do yoga, reduce sugar, caffeine and alcohol intake, etc.

 

Copious eating and drinking are holiday pastimes; two activities that often interfere with sleep. So there's already an inbuilt conflict between holiday expectations and stress reducing behaviors. It seems that trying to reduce stress over the holidays could be very stressful.

 

My advice for getting through the holidays?

 

Prepare. Surrender. Recover. When you hear that a big storm is coming, you decide if you are going to evacuate, or batten down the hatches. You buy food in case you cannot leave your house. You buy candles and batteries and water in case the power goes out. Then you surrender and watch the snow or rain with a mix of awe and fear and hope, and stay as safe as you can. Then you assess the damage, if any, and do what you need to do to recover.

 

This is the strategy I recommend during "the most wonderful time of the year." If you don't evacuate for the season, prepare for the storm of travel, giving, receiving, socializing and hosting, all of which can be glorious and stressful in their own ways.

 

Prepare. Expect to be stressed at times. Expect some family drama. Expect to be stuck in traffic, and find yourself rushing to buy or wrap the gifts. Prepare to eat too much and to be hungover. Go easy on yourself. And don't forget to prepare to have as much fun and as much joy as you can given the circumstances, whatever they may be.

 

Surrender. Some storms, especially if you are well prepared, are not so bad. Others, like this summer's Irene up here in the Hudson Valley, can take you by surprise and create devastation the likes of which you couldn't imagine or prepare for. Naturally, your sister arriving with her three sick kids is going to throw you for a wreath. Watch the storm. Be an observer, even as you also freak out and lose your patience, shove yet another cookie in your mouth, or curse in front of your kids when you end up sleeping at Kennedy airport instead of in the Bahamas while waiting for your delayed flight.

 

In an alternate scenario, you may just wake up on New Year's Day feeling rested, refreshed and ready to take on another year!

 

Recover. Take it easy in January. Go back to your regularly scheduled programming and menus. Log what happened this year, so you can prepare better or perhaps make different choices next year. Too much Grandma? Spend the holidays out of town. Too many Christmas cards to write? Send a fancy e-mail. Too many cookies eaten? Put an extra workout on the post-holiday schedule. Too many parties? Well, aren't there always? It's just that time of year.

 

 

And remember: Love Yourself no matter what.