6 ideas to help reduce the stress of the holiday season

 The festive season is full of Christmas parties and commitments. Here are 6 ideas to help reduce the stress of the holiday season

1.       Plan your Christmas shopping over several pay packets to suit your budget

Sit down earlier in the year to organise who you need to buy for and what commitments you need to honour over the holiday season helps you take advantage of sales throughout the year and stock up on presents over the year and will help your budget in December.

Some shops have a rewards program where you can pay for hampers throughout the course of the year or save up your rewards points and cash them in during the Christmas period when your budget is stretched. 

2.       Kris Kringle

To reduce the expense and stress of buying for all your family, friends and colleagues, many people follow a Kris Kringle system and purchase a gift for one person, often with an agreed value to limit overspending. Remember, it is the thought that counts.

3.       Potluck parties

Bring-a-plate parties have become very common and reduce the expense and stress of one person being responsible for the entire event. There are many variations of potluck dinners and may include the allocation of meal courses for guests to bring to ensure that all guests do not turn up with a dessert. 

4.        Christmas cards

The art of written Christmas cards is fading, and many cards will donate a portion of their profits to a great cause. It could be a great idea to let your family, friends, and colleagues that you are thinking of them by posting them a Christmas card.

5.       Be selective

By choosing what you commit yourself to you protect your time, budget, and ensure you avoid burn out. If you feel bad attending an event, being around certain people, or committing yourself to do something, then it is a sign that you should not be doing it. 

6.       Take time out for yourself

With your attention being pulled in different directions and being surrounded by a lot of people and their different personalities it is important to take time out for yourself. A practice you can use anywhere is to take a deep breath in through the nose for the count of four, hold for the count of four, and slowly exhale through the mouth for the count of four. To further give yourself a micro-break, you can always go to the bathroom, the one room in the house with a lock, and buy yourself a few minutes of solace when things are getting too much.

Kind regards,

                Penelope Espinoza Hallett, Naturopath

                BHsc (C.M.) AdvDip. Nat/N.D, Dip. Aroma, Dip. C.H., Cert. R.M., Cert. R.M., Cert. SBM, mNHAA