The end of the year is the most hectic time for most people. From preparing Thanksgiving dinner, to Christmas shopping, to spending New Year’s Eve out on the town, you probably have little time to rest in November and December.
With a bit of planning, you can manage holiday stress and have an enjoyable Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don’t look at the season as a chore, look at it as an adventure. A good attitude can go a long way, and turn your holiday from “Bah! Humbug” to''Wow".
Here are a few tips for managing holiday stress.
Don’t Overextend Yourself
Don’t agree to do everything that’s asked of you. Take time to think about requests to host parties or cook dishes for events. Avoid answering right away unless you’re absolutely sure you can fulfill the request. Be firm with friends and relatives who insist you do something you know you can’t do. If you promise to do something and don’t deliver, it will cause more problems than saying no at the outset.
Minimize stressful holiday shopping. Buy online when you can, and use online coupons and following sales for newsletter subscribers. Always make your purchases are safely encrypted, or use Paypal to keep your bank account number from prying eyes. You can also use prepaid gift cards to pay for purchases if you’re not sure about online safety.
Shop at the mall or your favorite store on weekdays, or at times when lines are shorter and parking is more plentiful. Set a budget at the beginning of the holiday season. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on gifts to show people you care about them.
Save time and reduce stress by taking advantage of gift wrapping services offered by many stores. Many retail and online stores also offer low-cost assembly services for furniture, toys and other big-box gifts. If putting together a toy or other gift will be nerve-wracking for you or the gift recipient, the in-store assembly will be well worth the cost.
Instead of paying a caterer for your holiday party, consider having an informal potluck dinner where guests bring their own sides or other food. You can make some suggestions for dishes to bring to avoid duplicates. Potluck dinners are great because they allow guests to share their favorite recipes with others, and encourage conversations.
Help Out at Parties or Other Events
Be a good party or dinner guest by asking your host if you can help set the table or clean up after the meal. Bring dessert, a bottle of wine, a homemade side dish, or candy even if you weren’t requested to do so. Helping out fosters camaraderie between the host and guests, and makes the event run more smoothly.
Turn your phone off during dinner and engage with the other guests at the table. Steer conversation away from controversial subjects. Holiday discussions should be fun and light-hearted, or used as a means to catch up after a busy year.
Watch what you say. If you feel like you’re going to say something you’ll regret later, excuse yourself and go to another room to calm down. Stay away from alcohol or low-alcohol drinks like white wine spritzers. Many holiday fights have been fueled by excessive alcohol consumption.
Remind people to act in a courteous manner, but don’t try to control them. It will only cause more stress for everyone involved. Let go of what you can’t control.
Keep a Schedule – and a Journal
Keep a journal using the notes app on your phone, or buy an old-fashioned paper notebook to record your thoughts and goals during the holidays. Write down what you’re feeling, and highlight funny or unusual things that happen as you go about your day. Noticing a particularly tacky Christmas sweater or a group of kids singing carols at the mall will lift your spirits and take the edge off stressful errands.
Use a shopping, cooking and visiting schedule and allow yourself plenty of time to get to and from your destinations. A set schedule may not always work – changes will crop off now and then but a list will keep you focused and prevent you from forgetting important errands if you’re busy.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Reduce stress with exercise and frequent breaks. Treat yourself to a yoga class, massage, or movie between shopping trips. Take care of yourself first and you’ll have the energy to get all your errands completed without becoming frustrated.
Eat healthy snacks between parties and holiday dinners. Choose tea, juice, or water instead of soda. Save champagne and other alcohol for New Year’s Eve or after-dinner toasts.
Make sure you get enough sleep no matter how busy you are, and take a nap during the day if you’re feeling drained.
Wheatgrass Helps Boost Energy During the Holidays
Add a wheatgrass supplement to your daily routine during the holidays and continue doing so year-round.
Wheatgrass is sometimes called nature’s superfood, and with good reason. Wheatgrass has Vitamins C, A, E and B-complex vitamins, plus many minerals essential to keep your body working properly. Many people are deficient in magnesium, and wheatgrass contains magnesium-rich chlorophyll. Other minerals in wheatgrass include potassium, selenium and iron. You’ll also get amino acids and hundreds of enzymes when you take a wheatgrass supplement.
Help reduce stress and stay emotionally balanced by taking Happy Girl Natural Mood Enhancer. This wheatgrass supplement has a green tea extract and gotu kola to improve your mood, as well as cayenne pepper and gingoko biloba for better circulation and heart health.
REVV Natural Energy Booster from Wheatgrass Love has a delicious chocolate mint flavor, and it’s formulated to give you extra energy the healthy, natural way. REVV also contains choline bitartrate, which has been shown to help protect against memory loss in older adults, and periwinkle herb, with memory-enhancing properties proven in studies on former pro football players.
Control holiday stress and stay energized with wheatgrass supplements from Wheatgrass Love.