Wow, where has 2018 gone?

It’s holiday time again and you know what that means: unfortunately many people believe that this means everyone “should” be happy, “should” get along, “should” spend a lot of money, and “should” overeat. But do you really want to live a “shouldy” life? I don’t and you probably don’t either. To stop the “shoulds” from coming down your chimney, here are 10 easy ideas so that stress doesn’t grinch your holiday season.

Don’t Let Stress Grinch Your Holiday Season

1. Be in the moment. Enjoy and savor the conversations and interactions as they occur. If they don’t uplift you, take yourself out of them.

2. Say “NO”, mean it, and stick to it. This applies to people, events you don’t want to attend, or any thing that forces you to overspend or overextend yourself. Become a broken record if you have to.

3. Avoid regrets. Decide beforehand what you’d regret not doing or who you’d regret not seeing – then do that.

4. Decide how you want to feel. This means monitor and change thoughts that don’t encourage feeling good.

5. Create your own tradition(s). Just because your family always did things a certain way doesn’t mean you have to do the same.

6. Don’t allow others to “guilt-trip” you. If someone who has harmed you (in whatever way) in the past will be present, don’t allow others to tell you things like: “forget about it”;  “get over it”, “they didn’t mean it”, to try and force you to attend or interact with them. Refer back to # 2.

7. Get moving. Exercise helps you feel better, think more clearly, quiets your busy mind, gives you more energy, and staves off stress hormones. Invite others to join you for a walk or a pickup game.

8. Learn to delegate. You can’t do everything or please everyone. Share the responsibilities so you can have some enjoyable extra downtime.

9. Make yourself a priority. You have to fill your own well first, so you can be there for others who may need you. Keep close to your regular routine, like exercising, food plan, meditating, etc..,

10. Spend some quality time alone. Make sure you take care of your emotional and spiritual self by nurturing, loving, and being good to yourself.

As always, I love helping women live happier lives. Whether you call it depression, anxiety, stress, or nerves, I’d like to help. I invite you to call me at 512.680.2874 for your free 15-minute phone consultation. Let’s discuss how I may be able to help. If we decide to meet, I’ll have tea and chocolate waiting for you.

Looking forward to hearing your story and helping you feel better,

See you in 2019!

Dr. B.