Do You Have Holiday Anxiety? Get Organized, Prioritize Tasks, and Stay Sane with These 6 Tips
Ready or not, here it comes; the happy, jolly, festive holiday season. Is it though? Alongside the eggnog drinking, carol-singing, gift opening merriness is a whole lotta stress and anxiety.
With busier schedules and additional commitments at home and work, it’s easy to feel like crawling into a holiday stocking and never coming out again may be the best way to manage.
To truly enjoy the holidays, it’s important to prepare mentally, emotionally, and physically for what’s to come.
Cultivating healthy habits, routines, and decision-making that nourishes, rather than depletes, is essential if we want to stay organized, energized, and sane this holiday season.
Here are 6 ways to manage the hustle and bustle this holiday season and keep holiday anxiety to a minimum:
- Envision how you want to feel before, during, and after the holidays
By imagining what your ideal outcome is, your chances of achieving it increase. So, cozy up in a quiet spot, favourite beverage in hand, light a candle, close your eyes and lean into what you really want.
PRO TIP: Write down what you envision and post it in a visible location to remind you when things get stressful.
- Choose an aligned planning strategy
Whether using a planner, journal, printable worksheet, app, or other systems, decide how to capture, prioritize, and review your likely-to-be-bigger to-do list regularly.
PRO TIP: If going digital, a Holiday shopping app can help you plan gift ideas, create shopping lists, set budgets, share your lists, create gift lists by categories, and more.
- Prioritize your personal health
Make sure you get sufficient rest, hydration, movement, and sleep to ensure you don’t burn out or get sick. Making sure to prioritize your personal health also means prioritizing your mental health. If you feel yourself getting that Holiday Anxiety, you can always take a step back.
PRO TIP: To get in some “exercise” while shopping in person, park far away and walk and take the stairs when possible. If shopping online, set a timer for 20-minute stretch breaks.
- Set boundaries
Whether family, friends, or co-workers, communicate clearly what you’re able to do. Set limits on how much time and energy you spend on holiday tasks, and which invitations you can say no to while maintaining your energy, interest, and sanity.
PRO TIP: As hard as it is to say no, doing so helps to protect your self-esteem, maintain confidence, and enjoy healthy relationships. Your boundary muscle gets stronger the more you use it.
- Take inventory of your supplies
Before you start buying, wrapping, decorating, baking, etc., go through what you already have on hand to prevent over-buying and over-spending. This includes decorations, wrapping paper, and holiday cooking supplies.
PRO TIP: Reuse supplies you already have for wrapping – fabric, envelopes, bags, papers, etc.
- Gift experiences over stuff
To not fall prey to the holiday buying frenzy, think about gifting more experiences this holiday season. Not only can cultural, culinary and travel events create lasting memories, but they also don’t add clutter and are more environmentally friendly.
PRO TIP: If someone you care about would appreciate professional decluttering and organizing support, consider purchasing a gift certificate.
BONUS TIPS! 5 storage hacks to make organizing your holiday decorations easier:
- Hang your large wrapping paper rolls in a suit/clothes bag
- Use egg cartons or plastic cups glued inside a cardboard box to layer ornaments
- Wrap your holiday lights around a piece of cardboard to keep them untangled
- Hang your wreaths on a long hook
- Maximize vertical wall, closet, cupboard, and door space
By optimizing how we organize our space, spend our time and money, and manage our energy, we can decrease anxiety and increase Joy this holiday season. Need support getting organized this holiday season? We’re here to help! Please reach out to us here or email us at info@simplyhomeinc.ca
