Gerrianne Clare is the founder of the Family Guidance System. She is passionate about helping busy families live with less stress, more peace while having more fun. You can find out more about Gerrianne’s work by visiting her website at http://www/familyguidancesystem.com

5 Ways to Reduce your Stress this Holiday Season


What causes you the most stress during the holidays?  Is it the number of things on your list that just got longer because of all of your “shoulds”?  Or is it the fact that you are spending money that you don’t have to create an experience that is “perfect” and “over the top”.

Are you on track to create the type of holiday you dream of or are you starting to feel panicky and stressed out by all you need to do?  Before the overwhelm gets the better of you, try out the following 5 steps to help you STOP and REGROUP to get yourself back on track.

1)      Do a BRAIN DUMP all of your “shoulds” this holiday.  Write out a list of everything you think you “should do” to make the holiday “perfect”.

  1. The Christmas baking you “should do”,
  2. The gifts you “should” buy,
  3. The decorating you “should” do,
  4. The money you “should” spend (that you don’t have),
  5. The “feeling” you should create,
  6. The relationships that you “should” mend
  7. Anything else that comes to mind that you “should” do

2)      Look at this list and reflect on each item by asking yourself the following questions.  Am I doing this because

  1. I want to?
  2. I need to? (clarify if the need is real or imagined)
  3. Someone else expects me to?
  4. I don’t know why I am doing this
  5. Be honest with yourself here.  Often times we feel the need to do something because someone else expects us to and we don’t know how to say NO.  What do YOU want?

3)      Now that you have a clear idea as to why you are doing the things you have on your list, set some priorities for which items to do first, second etc.

  1. Take each item and determine which is the most important to do first, then second.
  2. Take the first item on your list and call it #1.  Then take the next item and determine if it is more important than the first item, if it is, make it #1 on the list and then make the other #2.
  3. Compare each item on your list and come up with a numbered list of all that you need to do.
  4. Make sure that you take the things that are a “nice to do”, “if I have time I will do” and “I don’t know why I am doing them” and put them at the bottom of the list.
  5. Do this with every item and soon you will have a prioritized list.

4)      Once you have clarified your priorities, separate them into 4 categories.

  1. Ones that can be accomplished in I hour or less
  2. Ones that are high priority and can be broken down into smaller chunks.
  3. Ones that you can delegate
  4. Ones that you have little control over

5)      Get to work –Look at the list and create an action plan.  Begin any action plan by setting the intention for how you want to BE as you do the work.  If you want to feel calm, present, focused, and excited about all that you “want to do” then set yourself up to BE just that.

These 5 steps help you take the RIGHT action steps this holiday season.  When you combine this planning with a regular practice of deep belly breathing, and setting the intention for how you want to “show up”, you have a formula to reduce your stress with success this holiday season.

Don’t let worry, stress and overwhelm dominate your time with your family over the holidays.  Choose a different way of BEING and by responding differently to the pressures that you feel.  Breathing, Setting the Intention and Planning are three fundamental steps in helping you achieve all you want to achieve in life.

Have a beautiful, peaceful holiday season.

Hugs

Gerrianne

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gerrianne Clare

phone: 250-434-5132

gclare@familyguidancesystem.com

skype: clare.consulting

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