Holiday stress can be triggered by a multitude of things including interacting with toxic relatives, thinking about everything that has changed or remained the same in your life, and being bogged down by a seasonal cold or flu. It’s important to think about what might cause stress in your life before engaging in holiday season celebrations. This allows you to take control of your emotions regarding situations rather than allowing your feelings to control you. Below are some of our tips on how to prepare yourself for the holiday season.
Self-Care During the Holidays
During this busy season, it’s important to adhere to your regular routine. Make sure to have a feasible to-do list filled with manageable goals. It’s important to also keep up with exercise and your regular amount of sleep. A loss of sleep can lead to overeating and packing on unnecessary pounds. Plus, if you feel well-rested, you can wake up earlier in the morning and be much more productive. If you have an event to attend, make sure to obtain at least seven hours of sleep the night before. Do not over caffeinate to compensate for lack of sleep and drink responsibly at events.
Find Seasonal Childcare
If you need assistance during the holiday season, don’t wait until the last minute. To find a reputable nanny, consider using our agency. Finding childcare will help you achieve your to-do list more easily and lessen the stresses of managing your child’s school and social calendar in addition to your own.
Maintaining Realistic Social Obligations
Be realistic about your social schedule and don’t place unreasonable pressure on yourself to accept every invitation. There is no need to say yes to everyone or everything at the expense of your health. To avoid double-booking yourself, try to input all your events onto your calendar. This will also ensure that nothing important falls through the cracks during this busy period. To make room in your agenda and have something to look forward to, coordinate plans for January.
Prepare in Advance for Holiday Travel
If your family plans on traveling to visit relatives or go on vacation during the holiday season, plan your itinerary accordingly. Traveling at peak times is sure to cause crankiness in everyone so to help avoid the anxiety and stress, go during off-peak times. Additional tips and suggestions regarding holiday travel can be found on our blog.
Coping with Family Tensions
Spending time with even the closest of family members can ignite conflict, especially when people are confined to a limited space for several days. Ways to prevent disagreements from escalating include politely excusing yourself from the conversation and instead, going for a walk or retreating to another room in the house. If you’re hosting this year and your relatives plan on bringing children with them, set up a play area for them. Parents will appreciate the gesture.
Culinary Pressures During the Holidays
If dinner is being held at your home, ask guests in advance about any food allergies and restrictions. Special diets can also cause conflict at the dinner table so make sure to discuss those as well. If planning and preparing the meals becomes more work than fun, scale back. Our quick and easy to make recipes can be found here and here. The holidays are stressful enough without trying to do everything yourself so if guests offer to bring dishes, let them. If you need to outsource help, hire a catering company for peace of mind. Parents can also look into hiring a nanny or a mother’s helper to assist with holiday planning and preparations.
Gift Giving Advice
During the holiday season, many parents fall into a trap of accidentally spoiling their children. It’s nothing to be ashamed of as you want your children to have advantages that you might not have had. However, it’s the thought that counts so make sure that you think carefully about the right present for your loved ones. It can be better to get one or two meaningful gifts rather than purchasing a multitude of gifts that will go unnoticed and unused. To order your gifts and avoid the hectic crowds, shop on-line. Sure, you might have to pay a little extra for shipping if your retailer doesn’t offer it but what’s a few dollars when you’re trying to save your sanity?
Do Something Nice for Someone Else
There are a number of ways to teach your children how to express gratitude during the year and remain grounded. The most important one is for parents to lead by example. Take the time during the holiday season to volunteer at a food pantry/soup kitchen or help at an animal shelter, donate to clothing based charities, and in your local community. Adults should also aim to teach children that volunteering is not a seasonal activity and something that is needed year-round.
Getting ready for the holiday season can be an overwhelming endeavor but it doesn’t have to be. With our extensive background screening process, the Nanny Authority can make sure that you have a reputable caregiver to help assist you during this busy time. Contact us at 973-466-2669 or on our website for more information today!