Personal Survival: The Holidays are coming! Are the holidays stressful for you? Do the people around you seem to freak out with Holidaze chaos? Would you like to be in control of your levels of stress before Christmas hits? Ask yourself these questions: Does traveling to Holiday events create stress for you? Do people in your family (or at work) act a little crazy and even annoying during this season? Do you enjoy over eating (or drinking) with people you have avoided all year long at these seasonal celebrations? Does the season get expensive for you? Are your expectations of joy and happiness ever miss their mark? Consider the best gift that you can give yourself is time for stress management. Time, What time? Well a program of regular stress management will actually save you time! Your time savings will come from: A.) Requiring less sleep (and the sleep you do get will be deeper and more restful) B.) You will be able to concentrate better and so make fewer mistakes (that require time to repair) C.) You will be able to communicate more effectively and so get more done in less time D.) You will feel better and have more energy E.) You will be better able to control your appetite and your response to your familys craziness (or cope better with your expectations of happiness that may not be met) F.) You not have to medicate yourself with alcohol or drugs to survive your Xmas anxietyThis gift of self-care will actually be the best gift that you can give your friends and family. They will have one less crazed person running through their lives. Better still, you will be the best role-model for your family and friends. (They need a healthy role model.) Self-care would include a regular program of exercise, sensible diet (moderation,) and daily relaxation. The best relaxation for self-care newbies is to listen to a guided relaxation (on CD) that will help you concentrate on relaxation for 15-20 minutes. With a little practice this will feel great, help you to rest/sleep better, and save you time/energy. Dont wait for New Years to make the resolution to practice self-care. You will need it to survive the Holidaze! Remember you can not control the way other people behave or respond during the holidays, but you can control the way that you respond. Please take good care of yourself. Enjoy the Holidays. |
