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It has begun – the innate holiday stress that I try to avoid each year. Although I may be one of the jolliest people around, I also suffer from OCD and a need for constant organization. So the holidays are always a time where my sanity is tested. So this year I am taking a different route to beat holiday stress.
Set a Budget
Financial obligations tend to be the biggest stress on families during the holidays. I know I find myself roaming the aisles on Black Friday picking up every deal I find. I often buy the gift first and then designate a giftee later.
This year I decided I would instead allocate gift types and cost prior to beginning my shopping spree. By doing this I have preset a gift value for each member of our family, and they have been made aware as well. This avoids the inevitable guilt that you get when your giftee spends more on you than you did them. If you are the type to steer clear of budgets because of the initial workload, then you are in luck! Milrich can not only set up, but maintain a budget for you all year long.
Another route I would love to take (if I were better at preparing) is to buy a set number of gifts each month of the year. This would avoid having to spend more in a single month, and spread the cost throughout the year. And who doesn’t love to be done with gifts early?
Designate Family Time
I can’t be the only one who has multiple families pulling them in different directions. My husband and I both come from blended families, so that means multiple get togethers… and when I say multiple I mean at least 7 for each holiday. With that being said, it can be highly stressful to figure out when we will go where, because we never got lucky enough for our families to spread out their dinners. Instead, we had to pick where we would be late/early and which holiday.
Last year we tried something new with our family, and let me tell you… total stress reliever! Instead of trying to fit everybody into one day, we designated a specific time with them. And for the most part, our families were totally on board. On Thanksgiving we were able to breakdown meal types- breakfast/lunch/dinner- then other members of our family got us for Black Friday shopping (those are my favorite). Christmas is a little more spread out, we have about 10 celebrations. So they are spread between the weekend prior, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the weekend after.
Having these set times for when we will be with each member of the family not only creates more quality time, but also alleviates the stress of trying to cram everything in one day. If you and your family decide to try this method it won’t disappoint!
If you are like me, you look forward to the holiday season all year long. But when it finally gets here, the stress overpowers your ability to enjoy the festivities. These two tips just scratch the surface on beating holiday stress. If you want to know more, Psych Central offers five ways to help you enjoy the holidays!