10 Tips for Getting Through the Holidays

Wouldn’t it be nice to hit January 2nd and feel happy and excited for the coming year, rather than burned out or depressed, or both?

Love them or hate them, the holidays are quickly approaching and most of us could probably use a few tips on how to make them easier. I have put together a few of my favourite holiday coping tools, and here they are...

5 Tips If You Love the Holidays

1. If you’re looking to keep your spending in check, create a holiday gift budget and then take that amount out of the bank. Only take that cash with you when you go gift shopping and leave the plastic at home.

2. RSVP only to the invitations that you actually want to accept, and say “no thank you” to the rest. You don’t have to attend every event and function – and you don’t have to explain why you aren’t attending. Also, having a bit of space in your schedule will allow for flexibility when it comes to some last-minute plans you might want to make.

3. Make sure to take time for yourself to relax and unwind so you don’t burn out or start resenting the commitments you do make. Promise yourself an allotted amount of time once a day (or week) just for you, and keep your promise.

4. Focus on eating what you really love, enjoying your food, and paying attention to the wonderful flavours, smells, and colours of all those holiday treats, rather than beating yourself up over eating more than you were planning to. Let’s face it, we’re probably going to overeat at some point in the coming month, it’s practically inevitable. So let’s be kind to ourselves and not let our inner critic judge every piece of food that passes by our lips.

5. If the holidays are usually so much fun that January is a let down for you and brings the blues, plans some events and activities for the new year so you have something to look forward to.

5 Tips If the Holidays Are Difficult for You

1. Create some of your own holiday traditions, such as taking a trip out of town, hosting a gathering, or doing something else that gives you pleasure. It doesn’t matter if it’s untraditional, it’s an opportunity for you to empower yourself to change your experience of this time of year.

2. Make at least a couple of plans with friends so that you have some things to do (and even maybe look forward to) and to prevent the month of December from becoming a wasteland of nothingness. Plan ahead and plan early because schedules book up fast.

3. Take a chance and say “yes” to an invitation that may feel a bit out of your comfort zone. You may be pleasantly surprised. Or not, but at least you will have tried.

4. Don’t isolate yourself. If you don’t have people to make plans with, regularly spend some time around others: visit coffee shops, go to the movies, the dog park, or for a walk in a pretty location.

5. Take good care of yourself and give yourself what you need most, whether it is a good cry, a warm bath, a chat with a friend, a cuddle with a pet, or a night out on the town. You have the power to comfort yourself.

Enjoy, take care, and I will see you on the other side, in 2018!

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