12 Days of Christmas Ideas – Day 2

It is no secret that the Christmas Season can be a stressful time.  It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the many things that need to be done and inundated by the numerous Christmas and end of year functions.  Today I want to share with you some tips on how to lower your stress so you can more easily enjoy this season of celebration.

1. Write it Down

Trying to hold all the appointments and to-do-lists in your head is stressful enough in itself.  After a while they all start to jumble together and you can’t be sure if you are coming or going.  Writing it all down relieves your head from that pressure and it also removes that feeling of chaos because in the process of writing it down, what you have to do becomes clearer.

So my suggestion is grab a calendar, diary or cell phone (for those who are more tech savvy) and write in all the things you have committed your time too.  Actually if you want to have a little more fun with it I’ve seen that Stampin’ Up are selling this beautiful Journal that is already organised into planning sections and you can even purchase matching stickers and tags to make your planning more colourful.

You can keep this process of entering your time commitments simple by just including all the work and social functions you plan to attend.  Or you can go more in depth by blocking out times for set activities such as work, children’s playgroups or club meetings.  This should then give you a clearer picture of how your time is placed.  One thing I highly recommend is to plan time for rest and relaxation.  When our business is interspersed with regular times of relaxation then the feeling of being stressed is kept at bay.  Something I have also found helpful is to add an extra half hour between appointments as it means your not having to rush from one thing to the next.

The next thing to do is to write a to-do-list. This can include anything from baking to cleaning, Christmas shopping to grocery shopping, or making gifts to wrapping gifts.  This way whenever you have a gap in the calendar you can go to your list and choose something to work on.  Some of your tasks maybe time sensitive.  If that is the case then make sure you mark them accordingly.

 2. Share the Load

I was once told that we only have two hands because we are meant to ask for help when two hands just aren’t enough.  I believe that we aren’t meant to do life on our own, and being that Christmas is supposed to be a time of togetherness what better time than now to join with our family and friends to get things done.  If you’re living with others divide the chores among yourselves.  Delegate out certain jobs to family members – it might not get done exactly how you would have done it, but that’s okay, at least it is done.  If you have a big gathering of the extended family for Christmas dinner ask different family members to bring a particular dish or beverage.  Another favourite thing of mine to do is to work with others to get the job done.  I often find that working on a task with others makes that task so much more motivating and enjoyable.  In fact over the next few days I’ll be sharing some great Christmas party ideas that will do just that.

3. De-clutter

Lastly, I read an article a few years back about how clutter in our environment can cause stress.  So take a moment to consider the surroundings in your home. If there is too much stuff, pack it up and put it in the garage or under the bed – you can sort it out in the new year.  Now if it’s people that are cluttering your house this isn’t an option.  In this case I suggest that you plan outings or activities to engage them.  If some of these people are out of town family or friends who have come to stay you might like to consider arranging alternative accommodation nearby.  By doing this you are at least bringing some order to the chaos of people who have nothing to do.

This may seem like a daunting process but if you sit down now and spend a few hours planning, it will make the next month so much easier and you’ll be able to enjoy the holiday season with much less stress.