How Women Can Be Creatively Selfish During the Holiday Madness

I don't know about the rest of the women out there, but as much as I love the holidays, they can also be the most stressful time of year for me. What with trying to figure out what to get everyone for gifts, and worrying how to pay off that credit card once the new year rolls around, couple that with the significant other wanting me to cut back on the spending, the kids yelling about what they want from Santa, and you have a recipe for disaster.

About the time two out of these three happen, I'm ready for the funny farm. But the truth is it doesn't have to be this way. The holidays have become very commercial and in many ways we have forgotten what they are really about. Nevertheless there are some techniques that women can employ to be creatively selfish and in so doing keep their sanity at this time of year which has a penchant for being very trying.

1. Take time for yourself. You heard me correctly. Ask the significant other to watch to kids for an hour and go soak in the bathtub and read a good book. Light a few candles and just relax. Whatever your hubby and the children think is life and death in all likelihood is not. You need to take time for yourself every day so your body and mind have a chance to relax.

2. Don't have a significant other to watch the kids, or can't get him or her to? Well then, you need to employ this technique. Go out and buy your favorite dessert, and then share it with the kids, or the kids and the significant other, however it goes. With their mouths full they won't be able to talk to you, and you can take your little slice of heaven into the other room and savor it in peace for five or ten minutes. Sometimes five or ten is all it takes to let the tension go.

3. Go wrap presents. This is one of my favorites. You can look at the family and say quite innocently, "I'm going to go and wrap presents now, so no one come into the bedroom until I come out." Now whether you actually do or don't wrap presents is up to you, but for sure the kids and probably not even the significant other is going to disturb you if they think you are wrapping their presents. Especially if you tell them that you'll take them back if they do!

4. Go shopping. Well, not really. This is another way to get away for a moment and be creatively selfish. Get a babysitter for the kids, or have your significant other watch them, and tell them you're going shopping. Now, who is going to know if you take a little side trip before or after your shopping and treat yourself to a massage, or a manicure and pedicure, but you? No one, that's right no one. And even if they do figure it out, who cares, you deserve it!

5. Take a crafting class of some kind. This is a great way to kill two birds with one stone in that you can learn a craft that will allow you to make presents and thus save money, and which will give you time away from the insanity at home to relax. And let's face it, making stuff is fun! Some ideas for classes might be beading or ceramics to name a few. Trust me if the significant other thinks it will save money in the long run, he or she will go for it.

6. Take a yoga class, or schedule a time regularly each day that you can go somewhere else and do your yoga practice alone. Yoga is a wonderful way to de-stress and relax as it has the ability to connect the mind with the body. So often we are locked in our heads, and cannot even hear the signals our body is sending us when we are getting too stressed out until we have some sort of severe reaction such as a panic attack. A half hour daily practice whether it be in a class format or on your own is a great way to keep the stress of the holidays at bay and give you a breather. Oh, and this will also help to build your immune system helping you to stay healthy. On a side note kids love yoga, and you might consider doing your daily practice with them, after all kids get stressed too and what a wonderful way to bond with them!

7. Do some holiday baking. Put a DVD in the player if you have kids to keep them occupied for an hour or two, and bake some holiday cookies or other holiday favorite. Don't have kids or a significant other to worry about? Great, play some relaxing music in the background then. The other nice thing about this tip is that if you bake enough you can have some to give away as gifts. Remember, you don't necessarily have to purchase gifts for everyone. One of my great aunts did this every year. We didn't get presents per se, but we got a whole host of baked goodies. Honestly she was one of the best cooks around, so personally I would rather have the baked goodies than anything else!

These are just a few ways that women can be creatively selfish. The truth is we all need to be creatively selfish this time of year because it is just too easy to get caught up in the stress of the holidays. I know if you take some of these techniques to heart and use them that you will find yourself having a less stressful and more relaxing holiday.