How to REDUCE STRESS at Christmas time

Stress and Christmas have gone hand in hand for such a long time.  The extra pressure individuals place on themselves contributes to emotional and physical burnout.   A lot of this undue stress could be easily avoided by following some simple steps.

Stress is an imbalance between the demands being made on you and your ability to cope with those demands.  The amount of stress a person puts upon themself will determine their outcome.  Look at these main pillars of your life and ask yourself this question.  Is stress affecting my life and what am I doing about it?

Stress at work could be caused by:

·         Increased working demands

·         Overrated expectations

·         Excessive hours/overtime

·         Conflict

·         Harassment

·         Lack of communication

·         Lack of self esteem

Stress in the family unit is usually where one partner puts undue expectations on the other partner.  In this situation stress could be caused by:

·         Lack of communication

·         Lack of leadership by either partner

·         Procrastination

·         Poor time management

·         Lack of discipline or direction

·         Lack of respect

·         Sickness

Financial stress could be caused by

·         Poor budgeting

·         Buying beyond your means

·         Lack of goal setting/planning

·         Lack of communication

·         Impulse buying

·         Inability to save

·         Last minute shopping

·         Shopping without a plan

Social stress is when you find yourself in situations that you don’t want to be in.  This could be caused by:

·         The need to please others

·         The inability to say NO

·         Family gatherings

·         Gatherings with acquaintances or work colleagues

Social stress can be closely related to stress in the family unit.  Often one partner wants to attend a gathering but the other does not, or one partner is stuck at home with children and as a result feels left out (or isolated.) 

What could you do differently?

Avoid some stress by planning well in advance.  Lack of planning results in stress.  Relieve some of your stress by achieving balance in your life.  You should allow adequate amounts of times for work, family, social and SELF.

Work Stress:

·         Develop strategies to effectively manage your time

·         Reduce your workload

·         Remove unrealistic deadlines

·         Communicate effectively with management and peers

·         Ask for help

·         Learn to say NO

·         Do more of what you enjoy doing

As Christmas approaches an atmosphere of urgency builds up.  This is especially evident when you or your staff anticipate going on holidays, and the need to complete all deadlines. 

Family Stress:

·         Plan where you are going to spend Christmas day

·         Plan what you are going to provide for food and drinks

·         Know in advance who you are buying presents for

·         Accept that as unique individuals our expectations are different

·         Communicate with your partner and family

Acknowledge that all families have tension to some degree.  If your family is prone to fighting or bickering then accept that this is going to happen and unless you are directly involved in that interaction accept that you can’t do anything about it and let go of the small stuff.

Communicate effectively with your partner and openly discuss any issues that appear to occur often and throughout the year devise a plan to overcome them. Being proactive at another time of the year may result in a different/better outcome.  Remember that if you are stressed with the Christmas hype, then maybe other people that you come into contact with may be just as stressed as you.

Financial Stress:

·         Plan who you are going to buy presents for

·         Plan what presents you are going to buy

·         Discuss Chris Kringle to reduce the number of presents

·         Plan your budget to allow for this throughout the year

·         Stick within your budget all year

·         Buy wisely, buy sale items

·         Consult a financial planner

·         Communicate with your partner

 

Planning your finances is crucial in eliminating stress at anytime especially Christmas.  Being strict with your budget and not overspending will ensure you meet your financial obligations.  Having some savings will allow you to cope in times of emergencies, let’s face it you never know when your car, fridge or health will need you to come up with big money fast.

 

Holiday Stress:

·         Plan you holiday, travel, accommodation and spending money

·         Communicate your wants and desires to get the holiday you desire

·         Research the destination so that you know exactly what you are getting

·         Plan how you are going to finance all these commitments

·         Budget throughout the year

·       Check the media for updates on your destination before travelling

 

Have the commonsense to cancel your holiday if your destination becomes a holiday hotspot, what’s the point in putting yourself and your family in danger

Christmas holidays can be a very stressful time.  The build up to the festive season brings with it a tension that, left untreated, can build to gigantic proportions.  You are travelling with more traffic than at any other time of the year; and this manifestation or raw tension can start before your trip even begins. Imagine travelling for 8 hours with three young children. This vision should paint a clear enough picture that justifies how stress could get out of control.

If you feel that you are getting stressed, acknowledge the fact.  Awareness is the first step to change.  Look at what it is that you are doing or what is causing the stress.  Implement the strategies mentioned in this article.  If you still need assistance then seek specialist help.  Don’t leave it until it is too late, be proactive.

Do you suffer from stress at this time of the year?  If you do, how do you overcome it?  Leave a comment about your strategies of overcoming stress at Christmas time, my readers would love to hear what you have to say.