Happy Holidays!
Everyone has a different vision when it comes to the perfect holiday season. Some want to climb under the covers at Thanksgiving and hibernate until Valentine's Day while others relish the season.
Personally, I love the time between Halloween and New Years Day. There is so much to look forward to and once you finish with one holiday (depending on what you observe), the next one is right around the corner. As mentioned in my last post, we started baking recently. I can't deny my daughter's joy at mixing her dough and cutting out cookie shapes. One way that we do battle the sweets in our household is to share with others, and limit consumption to 1 cookie a day. We made gingerbread cookies about a week ago have yet to eat the last one. Tonight my sister and family are coming over for the kids to bake and decorate sugar cookies together. It's not what you expect from a wellness coach nutrition wise, but there is something else at play... the joy of family and enjoying each others' company.
The holiday shopping, on the other hand, is something that I could live without. Thankfully, my shopping was limited this year and I finished early. In part, because I don't know when our newest baby Coach T will make her grand debut. The other reason is because I made my list, set my budget, and refuse to get sucked into the "just one more item" vortex that I did find myself in last year. I did venture out the evening of Thanksgiving for a bit of shopping - it wasn't much and I refused to stand in any lines but it was nice to get out and walk around after our turkey dinner. A 3 year old (nearly 4) doesn't require much and husband and I exchange gifts on an extremely limited basis. Sharing a bank account also makes it challenging to surprise each other. For this, our budget thanks us.
So how do we avoid stress during this holiday season - stress of finding the "perfect gift", stress of paying for gifts, stress of family, stress of facing hoards of shoppers at the mall,stress of holiday travel, and the stress of added holiday pounds are just a few thoughts that come to mind. The simpleton in me suggests not stressing about it but that is neither realistic nor sympathetic.
Here is a link to the Mayo Clinic's recommendations for coping during the holidays. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030
The 3 best tips that go along with this post are: Stick to a budget, Plan ahead, and Learn to say NO. A helpful tip for anyone who is overwhelmed is to get help and acknowledge your feelings.
A New Year is right around the corner!
The JFA Worksite Wellness Team shares stories, tips and information about living well, or doing the best they can, while balancing life and working as worksite wellness professionals.
