Creating a Healthy Lifestyle

Marie says, “There is so much to do in December and I feel a lot of stress.  I can’t relax.  I know that I should be happy before Christmas but I’m busy shopping.  And my three kids, who are in second, third and fifth grade are driving me crazy. How can I relax before I go out of my mind?”

Marie is just one case example of the overwhelming stress that one can have during this time of the year.  There seems to be no time to relax and the amount of stress seems to be piling up constantly.  There is a feeling of a lack of control. As a person loses control, the more stress he or she will feel.

During this time of year we want to be happy and ‘jolly.’  We want to prepare for one of the greatest Holidays of the year.  We expect to be happy, not only for  religious reasons, but because it ia a special Holiday for the children.  And we want the best for them.  Children are anxious about Christmas and are expecting gifts at this time.  Adults are looking forward to the holiday and the gifts for their loved ones and friends.  Family rituals abound during this time.  Expectations are high.  It is a time of joy from year-to-year for everyone.

But because of these efforts during the holiday season, and the high expectations, there can be a lot of stress.  You may not be able to do all of the things you set out to do. Thoughts and feelings may become negative. Your expectations for satisfying others may not be met. And after the holidays there may be various thoughts: “It didn’t work the way that I expected,” “I thought he’d be happy with the gift,” “I feel tired from all this effort,” “It could’ve been better.” There can be many types of feelings and thoughts before and after the holidays.

For some people, there can be a big let-down at the end of the holidays, and depression can set in.  For others they may be susceptible to a type of ‘depression’ called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which usually occurs after the holidays during January and February.

The good news is: You can do something about Christmas, to make it a more joyful and fulfilling time. It doesn’t have to be a disappointment or depressing time.  There are some things you can do to avoid the risk of sadness, depression, let-down, or even disappointment:

 Since expectations are high during this time of the year, the first step is to lower them to more realistic levels.  When you give a gift, do it from your heart.  Do it out-of-love, not wondering how the person will react to your gift. Don’t shop frantically, making you anxious and stressed-out. Enjoy each experience of buying and wrapping the  gifts in a spirit of mindful meditation, moment-by-moment.

Buy gifts and other things according to the realities of your budget. This will help you not to worry afterward about your financial problems.

Enjoy time with family and friends, but make some time for yourself to be alone and contemplate.  You need to balance your time with others and time for yourself.

Make time to relax and meditate. You deserve some time to do relaxation techniques and mindful meditation. Do a Progressive Relaxation exercise, tensing and relaxing each muscle of the body from head-to-toe.  Do this exercise while breathing deeply, in-and-out.

Focus on the religious and spiritual reason for the season, and practice on what you are comfortable with. In my book, Create a Healthy Lifestyle, I discuss spiritual health, and how it is important to your total health–of mind, body, spirit, and your social relationships. You can use this approach during Christmas and into the new year.

These are just some of the ways that you can take the stress out of Chistmas.  It doesn’t have to be a let-down or make you feel that it wasn’t good enough. It can be a happy and healthy time for you, your family, and friends.  It can help you to begin the New Year with satisfaction and new hope.