Stress-Free for the Holidays TIPS!

This is a post I was very excited to do... Why? I love helping people; especially if it’s something I’m familiar with. Stress during the holidays is something I know all too well. 

FLASHBACK: in my retail management days I was having to balance a stressful work and personal life. So many associates calling out or no showing, strict bosses who expected the store to look spotless during the busiest shopping months of the year, and THEIFT. Then my life of having family members to see, presents to purchase+wrap, at the time I was single so having to have the perfect excuse why I’m STILL single, and making sure I don’t pick up any ‘holiday blues’. 

As you can see, I dealt with some Holiday stress and over time I discovered the magic recipe to have the “Stress-Free” holiday spirit!

Below you’ll find some tips and tricks I do to keep my life Stress-Free during this busy and beautiful time of year!

1. DON'T wait till the last minute!
This is a major and I mean MAJOR. I always witness the most stress on folks who wait the week... day... hour before Christmas to shop for gifts, wrap gifts, or prepare their house for guests. Today this post is going live at 7:00AM central time Tuesday... You have 3 weekends (3 Fridays, 3 Saturdays, 3 Sundays = 9 full days) don’t waste that time!

2. Get your rest.
Rest is important for being positive. Even if you have a million and two things to do remember to get a good nights sleep.

3. Calendars and Sticky Notes.
Have A LOT of holiday parties to attend? Worried you’ll forget them? Bookmark it! Sticky Note it! Calendar it! I like to hand write on a calendar and at breakfast time I glance over to see what my week has in store. When I see an event is approaching I’ll double check to make sure I have everything I need.

4. Don’t drive out of the way in holiday traffic for something unnecessary.
Okay, gotta have coffee to get the day started; thats fine. But if you’re having to drive 20 minutes out of the way to get your red Starbucks cup before you walk into HomeGoods it might not be top priority and is cutting into your time (which is stressing you out). 

5. Ask for help when needed!
For some reason everyone thinks help is non-existent... But it’s not! If you’re need to buy the Holiday Ham and your Mother-in-Law is on her way to pick up a prescription; simply ask for her to pick on up and pay her back. It saves time, money, and gas! This is also important if your have a Toddler like me. Ask for help or hire a sitter for a few hours to get all your tasks complete without chasing down a little one!

6. Not EVERYTHING is important. 
When planning out your holidays there might be some things on your list “To Do” that A: isn’t important or B: can be combined with something else. 
Example: My 13 month old is too young to understand Christmas lights; so take that off the “Holiday To Do” list. 
BUT instead of wrapping some presents on 12/4 and the rest on 12/12 maybe try to combine the dates and wrap them all at once!

7. Know when to DRAW THE LINE.
Sometimes you’ll catch yourself adding more to the list of things to do and forgetting to enjoy the Holidays. Know when to stop and say no. 
Yes, it's fun to help the Preschoolers do their Christmas class party - go out and buy those mini Christmas stockings and popsicle sticks to make homemade Christmas ornaments... But maybe leave the Christmas play to the Church instructors so you can sit and enjoy the show. :)


I hope these tips help! Also don’t forget that sometimes Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat) can be more of a distraction and can get in the way. Turn the phone off and I’m sure you’ll see a big difference in how much you get completed before Christmas Eve!

Best,
Brittney “Pomp and Palms"