3 Survival Tips for the Holidays

Sing it with me! It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Or is it? Is wonderful the word you would use for it? Perhaps stressful? Or painful? Or dreadful? Even under the best of circumstances, the holiday season is usually less than wonderful for most of us.

My top 3 holiday survival tips

Sure we put on our smiles and ready our “I’m doing good!” responses, but are we really ready for the stress and fatigue that comes with the holiday season? Is there any way that we can make it just a little more wonderful this year? Well, yes! I think we can!

Holiday tip 1: Plan, plan, and plan some more

There is an old saying that really applies here. “Fail to plan? Then plan to fail.” Lay out your calendar for the holidays and prioritize rest time. If you don’t include time to rest in your plan, then you simply won’t do it. Or worse, you will over-commit yourself and end up letting someone down because you sent yourself into a flare and had to cancel. There are so many things that happen that are outside our control. Take control of the things that you can, and be sure to plan, plan, and plan some more.

Holiday tip 2: Be okay with less than perfect

I’ve suffered needlessly because of my endless pursuit of perfection. We tend to wear it like a badge of honor, don’t we? No matter if it's the Christmas tree, family portrait, or gift for a loved one, we need to let go of this “ideal” image of what the holidays “should be.”

Take a moment to simply enjoy the season for what it is. I promise you, if you focus less on the “perfection” of the season and more on the overwhelming amount of blessings in your life, then you will save yourself a great deal of the stress of the season that would otherwise bring on a major flare.

Holiday tip 3: Prioritize

It is a sad truth, but a simple fact. You can’t do ALL THE THINGS. Yes, we all “want” to say yes to every invitation and every event, but even for the typically healthy people, it isn’t a good idea. Before things get crazy, sit down and figure out what means the most to you this holiday season. Is it spending quality time with your kids? Getting around to catch up with old friends? Getting back in touch with past relationships?

Whatever it is, figure it out and stick with it. If you commit to making it a priority, then you won’t lose sight of it in the craziness of the season.

Happy Holidays!

That’s it, just three tips. After all, who has time for more during the holiday season? I can’t promise you a flare-free holiday season. But with a little planning, acceptance of imperfections and the right prioritization, you might just survive and make a few good memories in the process.