3 Ways to Be Less Stressed for the Holidays

christmas 2007 (Photo credit: paparutzi)

It’s pretty much impossible to not feel the heat when the holidays arrive. Gift giving, traveling, entertaining, cooking, parties, expenses, family — the list of stressers go on and on! For the past few years I’ve been making a conscious effort to go easy on myself. Here’s some of the ways I combat holiday stress:

1. Start holiday shopping early: Don’t wait til the last second! It will only stress you out. You have more than enough time to get gifts for everyone on your list without doing the crazy person dash on Christmas Eve. Online shopping is pretty much the best invention ever. Use it to your advantage! Lots of retailers offer free shipping too.

2. Do something you like: Sometimes the holidays bring on lists and lists of things you HAVE to do…not things you LIKE to do. So I say make a new list. Put the things that you really want to do — like go to yoga, have tea with a friend. Sure you still have to do the other stuff but at least you won’t feel like that’s ALL you are doing.

3. Ask for help: Delegate, delegate, delegate. Resist the urge to be a control freak and allow trusted friends and family to give you a hand. If that means researching flights for you or making a dish for Christmas — give your friend an early heads up and I’m sure she will be more than happy to help you. You can even hire someone from TaskRabbit.com or FancyHands.com to do most tasks for you.