Thanksgiving Day is just a couple of days away, followed by the wonderful Christmas and holiday season. While this is such a great time to get friends and family together, it can also put such a stress to us. The food preparations and gift shopping, not to mention the house cleaning, the traveling (if any) and all the financial things involved. If we're not aware of this, we will eventually succumb to the stress and not enjoy the time we have with friends and family.
With that being said, here are some practical tips for a stress-free holiday:
1. Write a To-Do List
Even if you're not the person who normally writes a 'To-Do List', writing one during the crazy holiday season can alleviate a lot of stress and mental exhaustion. It gives you an organized vision of things that must be accomplished. One advice though is to make sure not to overload your day with tasks. Be realistic and set priorities.
2. Prepare a Timeline
This goes hand in hand with writing your To-Do List. Set a realistic timeframe for each task in hand. For example, from 6 AM to 8 AM – Kids and Breakfast; from 8 AM – 10 AM – Grocery Shopping for the Holidays, etc. This way you can have a schedule for yourself and anything that doesn't get done, don't stress! If it can be moved to the following day, do so. There's no sense beating yourself up if you don't get everything accomplished in a day. But that's why it's important to set a realistic goal for the day.
3. Designate Tasks
For some individuals like myself, not having control over things, can be freaky. I hate not knowing what the outcome might be and I hate having no control over things. But I've lived life long enough to know that while I can't have control over everything, things will eventually all work out.
So designate tasks to your friends and family:
- Assign who will prepare the ingredients.
- Assign who will cook or bring certain dishes.
- Assign who will clean the house. Even if it's friends or family from out of town who's staying with you.
- Assign who will prepare the table.
By doing this, you will get everyone involved and it will make them feel important and a part of such a great get-together.
4. Don't Whine. Shop Online While Drinking Wine.
Shopping is great. But not so much when you have to look for a parking spot for half hour, then press through the crowd in the mall just to get to your favorite store, and then stand in line for hours and hours to pay for your items. While waiting, you will hear others whining and eventually you might find yourself doing the same. All this is especially challenging when you have kids as well.
Beat the crowd by shopping online! Amazon.com is great! I have PRIME which allows me to buy stuff often without having to pay shipping all the time. I'm subscribed to the monthly $9.99 plan. Zappos.com is also wonderful. They have fast delivery and has 365 days return policy.
And while you're shopping online, you can also drink some wine! Who can beat that? I highly recommend Seven Daughters Wine and my favorite is their moscato. They have different kinds and there's one that you're bound to love so be sure to check them out.
After working so hard to prepare a delicious meal and a nice get together for your friends and family, you sure deserve a relaxation and what is more relaxing than a glass of wine with cheese, grapes, and crackers! You can also go www.sevendaughters.com to check out some cocktail recipes with their wine. Warning: You might be enticed to service a couple of recipe or two at your holiday dinner!
5. Release Stress by Exercising
Do you know that when we're working out, our body releases endorphins which are the happy hormones? You may feel that your body is under stress when you're exercising and it may, depending on the routine that you're doing. However, studies have proven that when we're working out, our body is releasing toxins while also releasing endorphins.
Just a couple of weeks ago, my friends and I went to Night Nation Run here in Houston. It's not your typical 5K run because you get to do it with a bunch of people with fun glow lights…you get to walk, dance, skip, jump to the music playing, so you won't actually feel that you're working out! I was having so much fun during the 5K that I didn't even feel it. I felt energized. I must admit I walked instead of run, but hey, at least I did 5K walk while having fun.
After that, we got to taste the delicious wines from Seven Daughters Wine and got to do the mannequin challenge during the after party with thousands of people! It was such a great experience. Check out www.nightnationrun.com for more information about the event and see if they are going to be in a city near you!
6. Put It All In Perspective
Last but not the least, put everything in perspective. If things don't go the way you had planned it to be, step back, breathe deep, close your eyes, and remind yourself of why you're doing what you're doing. When all is done, it's all about the essence of this holiday season.
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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Seven Daughters Wine. The opinions expressed herein are mine and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Seven Daughters Wine. Thank you for supporting LynneGabriel.com sponsors. They make my blog possible!
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