Ways to Stay Balanced This Holiday Season
The holiday season is upon us! It can be a very exciting time of the year filled with family time, good food, & fun.
Here are some ways to stay balanced this holiday season if you feel overwhelmed by all of your responsibilities.
Keep it Simple
There are so many things we do year after year because they are tradition, but are they things you actually enjoy or do you feel obligated to do them? This year, give yourself the gift of simplicity. Write down all of the things you do during the holidays. If those things make you happy, keep doing them. If not, feel free to let those traditions go. Tired of Elf on the Shelf? Tell your kids he moved to the Caribbean!
Order Your Holiday Meal
Preparing holiday meals can be fun for some people, but stressful for others. If you don't enjoy cooking, order your holiday meal & let someone else do the work; just heat & serve. Ordering your meal from your favorite local restaurant or store also feels good because they could really use your support this year.
Ask for Experiences vs. Stuff
One sure fire way to keep the clutter at bay & stay balanced this holiday season is to ask your friends & family for experiential gifts vs. physical items. Ask for a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant, winery, or museum. Better yet, ask them to join you on the experience to make it more enticing for them to support your wishes.
One in, One Out Guideline
If your friends & family do purchase you physical items, you can use the one in one out guideline to minimize clutter. It works like this: if someone purchases you a sweater, choose to either keep the new sweater if you like it & purge one that you already own or donate the new sweater if you love the ones you own more. Don’t feel guilty about getting rid of a gift that someone gave to you. Simply appreciate their generosity & let it go to someone else who will love it more than you do. You will appreciate that your closet is not more cluttered!
This guideline works well for children too. If they receive 5 new toys, give them the choice to keep those 5 new toys & purge 5 old ones or just keep the old ones. You will be giving your children the gift of making choices & learning how to minimize clutter before they reach adulthood.
Schedule in Some Time to Relax
We may want & need to relax, but somehow it can be challenging to carve out time for ourselves during the holidays. Embrace relaxation this season by getting cozy in front of a fire, taking a bath, reading a book, or doing whatever makes you feel relaxed. I’m sure we can all agree that 2020 has been quite the year, so let’s ease into 2021 with a fresh perspective and a feeling of balance.
Happy Holidays!
