Managing Christmas Stress

Preparations for Christmas create stress in our lives.  It is just a fact. We are trying to cram decorating, shopping, baking, parties and "creating warm and meaningful memories" into an already packed schedule. Most of us live a pretty busy existence, so adding more to our lives often causes us to feel inadequate, resentful and overwhelmed.

So how can we experience more peace, joy and truly make Christmas and all it's preparations a time of blessing for us and those around us?

I'd like to share a few tips that I have found to be helpful.

1) Don't neglect the things that are most important.  I try to maintain the parts of my day that I know feed my soul, body, emotions and relationships in a healthy way.

• For me, beginning the day with prayer and meditation keeps me grounded and focused on the source of my very being, my loving Father. 

• Being sure to include as much healthy food in my diet, drinking my NingXia Red each morning, creating healthy grab and go snacks, and eating very small portions of less desirable foods all help me maintain the good nutrition that I desire.

• Exercise and stretch to increase oxygen and reduce stress is so key. I tend to think that if I can't get a 30 minute workout in that I should just skip exercise for the day. After neglecting
  
  any regular exercise for almost a month, I am now rethinking this and adding 10 minutes of stretching twice a day, sitting on a balance ball while I work (even as I type this) and parking further from the door of the store to get a few more steps in.

• Protect the family dinner, date night, Bible study, or whatever nourishes your family and friend relationships.

• Choose to do good things for yourself when needed - a warm bath with lavender oil, a chapter of a good book, a few moments to "unplug" and sing Christmas carols.

• Oh, and did I mention maintaining a healthy sleep schedule? Do you try to gain more time by shaving minutes or hours off both ends of your sleeping hours? This can create exhaustion and a downhill spiral of poor choices, emotional upheaval and guilt. It just might not be worth it. You can increase the quality of the sleep that you are getting with some simple practices. I find creating a routine to wind down (like stretching, reading, praying), avoiding eating three hours before bed, and using an oil blend called Peace and Calming have all helped me to experience a deeper, more restful sleep.

2) Serve others. Help out a neighbor who can't drive to the store or do shopping anymore. Babysit for a young mother who can't get out alone very often. Help out at a soup kitchen. Donate food to a food drive. Donate blood. As St. Francis of Assisi wrote, "It is in giving that we receive". What is Christmas, but an example of our God pouring out Himself to serve us, his sons and daughters.

3) Practice gratitude.  This has been the subject of several of my blog posts, but gratitude has transformed my life and created happiness in days of darkness and struggle. There is always something to be grateful for. Taking time to consciously record things to be grateful for increases a positive attitude and can change the direction of a day "headed south".

Do you have any other practices and ideas that help you manage the holiday stress?