It is the week after Thanksgiving and the holiday season is now officially underway. Many people are already feeling the pressure of “too much to do, too little time.” We hear lots of conversation about “stress management” and it’s certainly a good time to keep it in mind; but what if we could reduce the amount of stress we have to manage in the first place? Well, I believe we can!
The hard reality is that a good share of the stress we feel is self-induced; and if it is self-induced it can be self-reduced.
Most of it stems from feelings of obligation around the holidays; our ideas of what “should, has to, needs to, ought to or must” be done. This leaves us feeling driven or pushed rather than drawn toward things that we enjoy and want to do. What a difference!
A useful exercise is to look at your Christmas “to do” list and mark those things that you really look forward to doing. What percentage of your list does it represent? How many things do you do because “we’ve always done it that way?” How many things do you dread or just want to “get through?” Do you buy gifts because you feel you “should” or because there’s something you really want to share?
It’s important to slow down and think about what you’re doing. It’s the first step toward recognizing that you really do have a choice about what’s happening even if it doesn’t feel like it. You really do. There is no “right” way to celebrate the holidays regardless of what marketers want you to believe.
What matters is that it focuses on things of value to you and your family; things that are meaningful, enjoyable, joyful even. Things that make you smile when you plan them and feel content while you’re doing them. Things that bring you closer to the people you love.
Hold onto those things and know that you can let everything else go. You can cross things off your list that do not enrich your experience. Just let them go (at least this year). You get to choose! And each conscious choice you make will reduce your stress and increase your satisfaction. You really can Choose Your Way to Less Stress.
I hope you’ll begin today and leave a comment about your experience. I’d love to hear from you!