5 ways to cut holiday anxiety
Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa will soon be here. Maybe you remember past years and dreading what’s coming. Do you seem to be over committed, exhausted and just plain wrung out from being pulled apart by everyone who wants your time?
Let me tell you about Sue. Sue loved Christmas. She decorated to the max. She made and bought special gifts for everyone in her large family. Most of them lived a few states away but that didn’t matter. She had gifts for all and they had to get there on time. She had a theme for her gift wrap, too. One year all the gifts were decorated like snowy houses. They looked like Santa’s village under the tree. One year she wrapped in brown paper and cut out stamps from potatoes then stamped ink designs on all the gifts. Sue had special family get-togethers and work parties. She had special services at her church.
Sue also loved to craft. She made Christmas crafts and booked local shows to sell her crafts on the weekend. It seemed like she was always making new crafts for the show up to the last minute.
When I met Sue, we were managers at a chain mall store. I liked to craft, too, so Sue had me selling at shows also. The problem was, we worked long hours during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. Since Sue didn’t want to turn down anything during Christmas, she was running here and there, until she was sick with pneumonia. Sue had pneumonia every holiday season that we worked together.
We often talked about this and I asked her cut back, it wasn’t worth getting sick over. “Oh no, I couldn’t do that,” she said, “Everyone’s counting on me.”
Then Sue found a great guy and they married. Now, Sue had two families to schedule in through the holidays plus her crafting and shopping and decorating not to mention working so many days in a row at her job.
Sue is like so many clients I see in my hypnotherapy practice. They overextend, trying to please everyone. When you normally feel anxious, huge holiday expectations can send you into a panic. You might already be inwardly shaking just thinking about all the places you need to go, all the food you need to prepare and all the people you need to please.
If this sounds like you, I have five solid tips to help you through the season.
Plan your cooking and baking ahead. If your Christmas cookies are the hit of every party and you must make them, start making those cookies now before times get so hectic. Most cookies freeze well and can be done ahead. If they are frosted cookies, and you want to frost them later, go ahead and do the baking now. Freeze them and then do the frosting on another day.
Breaking cooking jobs into parts can really spread out the stress of having to make food dishes the day before. Pumpkin roll is delicious but takes time. Make it up ahead and freeze. No one will be able to tell. Some cooking can be partially done and stored then finished later. The time consuming part is over and you can then just assemble the rest and finish cooking.
Plan ahead your at home meals for December now on your calendar. Make those meals simple and quick. Even do the whole month’s shopping now at the start of the month. Staying out of the busy stores can really cut back on anxiety levels.
Plan downtime into each day, no matter how busy it is. This might seem impossible to you but 15 minutes each day is enough to calm you and help your focus for the next day. If you have small children finding time alone can be tough. Get with your spouse or a friend and enlist his or her help. They should be able to handle the children for 15 minutes while you take a bubble bath or just deep breath in your room.
Use your downtime to unwind and relax your body. Hypnosis is an excellent way to unwind and find your center. Find a hypnosis download and just rest in a place where you won’t be bothered. While you listen to the voice, you allow yourself to enter into deep relaxation. You can imagine, picture or pretend to a guided visualization and soon you’ll feel as if you’ve taken a long nap. Because you are caring for yourself in this way, your blood pressure can improve and you may be surprised to find how calm you’ve become.
Tell family, friends and work that you have a schedule for the holidays. You’re schedule is first come, first serve. If they wait too long to book you, you may have a date filled. This puts the burden on them instead of you. If you already know that your family gets together every Christmas Eve, then put that on the schedule now. But friends and company parties will have to be on the schedule when you aren’t tied up. You may have to say no to some, but if you warn them that you won’t be overbooked, they will have to respect your wishes.
Start your wrapping now. If wrapping gifts is important to you and it’s very time consuming, then wrap everything you can now. Schedule time once a week until the gift giving day to wrap everything you’ve bought. Shorten wrapping time by paying for gift wrap when you can. Many online stores will gift wrap for you when you order. It might be worth the extra charge to budget your time.
Are you traveling this year and need to give gifts when you arrive? Ship those gifts ahead. UPS, FedEx or the USPS can do the delivering and you can travel light. Just packing for a trip is stressful let alone finding room for all the presents. And remember, if you’re buying online and shipping ahead, go ahead and have it wrapped!
Use anxiety busting tricks throughout your day. Knocking down built up tension throughout your day is a great way to restore your mind and body to a calm set point over and over. There are many benefits to this. You will see that you have more patience than usual. You will find a strength of mind you didn’t think you had. And your physical body likes the calmness reset. It will reflect in your blood pressure, digestion and muscle tension. All will improve once you find several small moments each day for calm.
You might think that you are too busy to do this. And not just because the holidays are upon us. I’ll bet you think you’re too busy every day for calmness. I say you’re wrong.
The first anxiety buster is Anchored Breathing and it’s very simple to do. Begin by rubbing your thumb and first two fingers together while you breath in a 4/4/4 pattern. That means you inhale to a count of four, hold the breath for a count of four then exhale for a count of four. If you feel your anxiety level climbing, just start the Anchored Breathing. Maybe it will take three breathes to calm you, maybe ten breaths. But that’s Ok. No matter where you are, you can breath this way and no one will notice. I suggest practicing this several times a day. It will soon kick in as a calming habit and you’ll be breathing tension away automatically.
The next anxiety exercise is Tapping. If Tapping is new to you, there are many sites and videos to teach you. I have instructions on my website. It only takes a few minutes to learn but is so affecting in calming the mind and body that I think everyone should learn it. Now Tapping isn’t as easy to do in public as Anchored Breathing but it is simple to do in the bathroom or the car. I can guarantee you are in one of those situations several times a day. If you’re Tapping in the bathroom while at work, just take 60 seconds, one minute to do it. It will calm you right away and return you to that calm set point that is so important to your health.
Another anxiety coping skill that you probably already know about is physical exercise. It can be hard to get in a workout during the holidays, though. Here’s an easy work around. Park your car in a spot that will cause you walk ten minutes into work or school and then ten more minutes back. You’ll get in a 20 minute walk each day that way and the moving around can really bring down that tightness you’re feeling. Make it a good brisk walk, too. Might as well get your heart rate going while you’re at it.
Now, what are some other times of day to reduce your stress? Your car is a great place to reduce stress. Plan that whenever you’re in the car, you will practice your Anchored Breathing or Tapping. You’ll feel so great, you will look forward to your commute.
I mentioned when you are in the restroom. Take one minute in the restroom to breath and tap away the tension of the day. I recommend this to all my weight loss clients. Reducing your stress helps your waistline.
Waiting in line or on hold is a great time to work on relaxing your mind and body. If you’re in line at a store, do your Anchored Breathing while flexing your legs and feet. You can bounce on your toes and get some movement going. It feels great! While on hold, you can sit and then stand from your seat. Sitting and standing is a quick motion that can wake up those tired of sitting down muscles. Then stand tall in a Superman or Wonder Woman pose. This opens up your breathing and changes you to a “Can Do” state of mind. Studies show that power poses can turn your mood around fast.
Don’t let the holidays put you into a panic or make you physically sick. This year, take charge. Spread out your work, say no to invitations that don’t fit your schedule and make time for yourself to use techniques that are healthful to you. And make time for hypnosis, you won’t find a better way to dissolve your cares away.
About The Author
I’m Angie J. Hernandez and I’m a Certified Hypnotherapist in Milford, Indiana. I’m certified by the Hypntherapists Union Local 472, and am a member of the American Hypnosis Association as well as a HOPE Coach. I am also certified from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute and have additional certifications including Smoking Cessation, Handwriting Analysis and Weight Loss Specialist. I have taken ongoing education including Certified Medical Hypnosis Practitioner and the Sheila Granger Virtual Gastric Band Hypnosis.
I live in Kosciusco County in Northern Indiana, deep in Amish country and the heart of farming and manufacturing centers. With two grown children and four grand-dogs, Angie and her husband, Gamal, live busy lives and enjoy all that life has given them. Recently, our son, Alex married Kim in Santa Barbara, California. It was a beautiful event and now aspire to we are hoping for grandchildren in our future!