Keeping Sanity Amongst Holiday Insanity

The holidays bring with it a joyful anticipation of family and friends coming together to celebrate. Huge gatherings full of large meals and wrapped presents dominate the landscape, and the planning and preparation for such events can easily consume a person. In fact, more often than not, the holidays rarely turn out to be the perfection that was originally anticipated. Instead, the heavy stress and burdens that the holidays can create sneak out and drag people down. They make the gatherings less joyous and more panicked. They make the familial interactions less intimate and more stressful. In the end, people lament over what the holidays could have been rather than the positives of what they were.

Yet does it actually have to happen this way? Do people have to struggle through what should be a beautiful time? The answer is fairly simple: no. While no one can anticipate and avoid calamity, everyone can plan and prepare for a healthier, sane holiday season. Try a few of the suggestions below to keep your mind peaceful, your body strong, and your days happy.

1. Daily Activity: Exercise tends to fall to the bottom of the priority list when times get tight. Rather than spending 30 minutes working out, anything from lifting weights to taking a walk, people elect to do all of the miscellaneous things the day holds. Make sure that you leave some time for you. Obsessing over everyone else will hurt you, so give yourself the chance to decompress and get your body moving. Remember that there exists a direct link between mental and physical health. If you feel good physically, normally your mind will follow.

2. Concentrate on what is good: Too many people get inundated with shortcomings and failures. They allow themselves to define the moment based on what is not done rather than by what has been accomplished. You will work hard during the holiday season, so take the time to reflect on what has been done well. Relish in the fact that this season is one that should celebrate positivity, not highlight unfinished, unimportant tasks. You do as much as you can and celebrate that.

3. Set defined limits: Finances can become a holiday's biggest stress point. Rather than spending irresponsibly, set clear limits before shopping for anything. Have a budget and stick to it. You will feel far better about your situation if you can stay within the boundaries you construct. If you can't seem to do this, recall what the holidays are really about. They don't revolve around money or large presents. They center upon people, family, and relationships. Keep this in mind when you pull out the credit card for the fortieth time to buy something a person doesn't need. Strict limits will allow you to keep your sanity when everyone else is caught up in the wild frenzy the holidays seem to create.

4. Shop early and online: Last minute shopping will destroy your budget, your choice, and your sanity. Once you set a budget, jump on the computer and bargain hunt. Hit the sale items, clearance pages, and early shopper discount coupons. Shopping early in the season will give you the time to get the items, wrap them, and get to all the other stuff you know you will need to do. Do not let presents consume you as the holiday gets closer. Be done early, and use the internet to do so. Avoiding the craziness of malls and stores will keep you far less stressed, and it will let you stay on budget. Walking through places, touching things, seeing enticing advertisements, hearing about special discounts...this will all lead to you spending more than you have to. They want you in the store because people get paid good money to figure out ways to get you to spend more. Do as much as you can from your home office; you won't regret it.

5. Be social: When you try to be everyone's host or hostess, the only person who ends up not having fun is you. The holidays are not about being a martyr who insures everyone else's joy. Sure it is nice to provide, but give yourself the chance to indulge in the revelry.

6. Don't chase perfection: Life is not a Pottery Barn catalogue. The table will get spilled on, the turkey may burn a bit, kids will scream, glasses may be broken, the roof could leak, relatives may be late. No one can control life, so understand that despite all your planning, nothing will end up perfect, and that's just fine. Life's joys normally come from life's imperfections, so embrace this idea. Make everything nice, but don't expect perfection; you'll just set yourself up for disappointment. In fact, try this: spill the first glass of wine yourself. This will take the pressure off.

7. Remember yourself: Oddly enough, go buy yourself a gift or give yourself some treat. You know yourself best, so reward yourself for all that you do. Don't go out and lease a BMW. Don't go buy a 60-inch television. Instead, spend a long afternoon getting your nails done, or buy tickets to the Broadway show you've wanted to see. Do something that involves an experience, not just a material. Create a memory that you can attach to the holiday and to yourself.

The holidays should make you smile, so give yourself every chance to do so. Your sanity and the way in which you maintain it will dictate the experience you have. Use some of the tips above to make life an easier place, one that will give you lasting memories for all the right reasons.