As the calendar pulls me closer to the holidays, I am feeling those inner twinges that happen when my time starts being crunched by competing priorities at work and home.
I try to look ahead and plan to prevent this feeling of running out of time to shop, cook and decorate but this year, somehow, it snuck up on me.
It started a few days ago when I thought I knew what to buy for some family members and then I found out that the person already had the thing I had in mind and then some of the other things I planned to buy were no longer in stock at the store. Then I looked at the calendar and thought YIKES!
And in the midst of that feeling, I knew I had to get back to finish a writing project for my job, a project I just couldn’t seem to get going on.
All those swirling thoughts in my head made it difficult to focus on how to get out of this stressful situation.
I’m thinking I can’t be the only one feeling this way and that those feelings are probably more common during this time of the year than I realize. At the same time, I’m also thinking of those of you who are dealing with the loss of a loved one during this season when holiday excitement can sometimes quickly turn into holiday anxiety.
What to do?
Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.
Breathe. Think calming thoughts.
I turn my thoughts inward and ask myself what is truly the most important thing I need to accomplish. In this case, I needed to get going on my work project so I can do my job but I didn’t rush back into it. I took all my notes and reviewed them again and started fresh.
In the rush of trying to prepare for your holidays, please remember to take out some time for yourself.
Create a buffer zone for yourself as a zone of self-protection against emotional burn out.
Cookies, cakes and other sugary munchies are all around us so please be sure to eat nutritious meals, get some regular hours of sleep and reach out to friends and family whom you trust and let them know you need to talk. I think they will understand why you may not be feeling very “merry” this Christmas. And that’s okay!
It’s so easy to get emotionally lost during the holidays but I think if you find some breathing space just for you then you may feel a little less vulnerable, a little less like you are being eaten up by deadlines and other people’s expectations for what is really your holiday season too!
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