Although many of us are filled with hopeful anticipation for the upcoming holidays, the transition from normal daily routines to the bustle of season festivities can be stressful at the very least. We often seek methods for organization, structure, and possibly sanity to get us through the season, but typically we look for these answers only when the holidays have passed.

This year, start the season with a strategy and regain a sense of enjoyment instead of dread. After all, we are supposed to embrace the spirit of giving. We are supposed to thrive, not simply survive another office party or family gathering.

How?

Let’s break this idea into bite-size pieces:

1.        Get plenty of rest. Don’t underestimate the power and importance of good sleep. In fact, schedule sleep first in your planner. Try to wake at the same time each day. Wind down and clear your mind before retiring for the night. Yoga, breath work, meditation, and journaling are great before-bedtime activities that help us unwind from the day.

2.        Eat healthily to keep adequately fueled through the day. It’s far too easy to operate with manic energy when under stress. Maintaining a healthy diet of small and frequent meals will help you soar through the pressure of the holidays. You may find that you are consuming more sugar or caffeine than usual during this time of year. This can be a symptom that you are expending more energy than you are consuming and something in your eating plan needs to shift. Maybe you need more water for hydration or more protein at breakfast. Take time to eat wisely through the season.

3.         Plan ahead for escape time. Sometimes the overload of a holiday schedule can be daunting and spending time with difficult family members or friends can overwhelm us. Plan escape time in your schedule. Take a short walk after meals, slip into a corner and journal, meditate, or even phone a friend in private. Use a bit of extra time to re-group and gather your thoughts. Pack along a small book of encouragement or inspiration to read in private.

4.         Learn to say no. Most of us say yes far too often and then later wonder why we are exhausted and double-booked. Practice saying no, especially during the holiday season. I have a technique I teach to clients to learn to say no without guilt. Develop a few questions that will help you determine if the idea placed before you is worth saying yes to or not. I try to ask myself if the task at hand will take away or give back to my family. I also ask myself if it will help me grow spiritually and as a human being. Design your own questions to gain clarity on whether or not you need to commit to one more thing. And when you decide your answer is no, just say it politely without explanation.

5.         Let go of the perfect gift idea. We seem to spend enormous energy searching for the perfect gift. Then we spend even more energy worrying whether or not we got it right. Give from your heart—sometimes a card with a handwritten, soul-felt message is more needed than any store-bought item. People appreciate things that matter, and the items that count the most often cost the least.

6.        Keep moving. Studies show that exercise does indeed reduce stress. Stick to your fitness program as best you can through the holidays. And this brings me to my next piece of advice.

7.        Create a Plan B for the holiday season. I often advise clients to create a Plan B. Plan B is the life program that includes life maintenance (fitness, menus, sleep, and social) at the minimum level. This is the plan you use when you travel, are overcommitted for a spell, or during the holiday season. When clients try to stick with their Plan A (normal) regimen during the holidays or travel, I have found that they can’t keep the pace and feel as though they have failed. So they give up altogether and don’t exercise, eat well, sleep well, or enjoy life. Remember, re-starting a maintenance program once the holidays have passed is more difficult than reigniting your program back to the level it needs to be. A minimum plan can be as simple as walking twice a week during the festive break versus four times a week. An in-place Plan B makes it easier to return to Plan A once the season passes.

8.        Create a Life Template. A Life Template consists of the five things that help you operate at your best. These things might be a) fun with kids, b) running, c) prayer, d) painting, and e) learning new things. Whatever your five things may be, find a way to include them throughout the season to help you be your best.

9.        Budget the holidays. The after-effect of overspending during the holidays is one of the most stressful impacts for many of us. Create a holiday budget. You can use the envelope system that so many are using today for daily/monthly budgets. Mark an envelope for holiday meals, one for gifts, one for travel, one for decorations, etc. Then place the amount of allotted cash in each envelope. Save your receipts and stick to your budget.

10.        Enjoy yourself. We can become so engrossed in roasting the perfect turkey, setting the perfect table, and decorating the perfect tree that we forget what it is we are celebrating. The holidays are supposed to be a time to gather together, to demonstrate love and gratitude, to embrace that which we have been given. Slow down. Create memories by being engaged, involved, and emotionally present throughout the holidays this year.

       My hope for you is that at least one of these ideas will apply to your life and you can relax and thrive this holiday season. This time of year is not something that one should be surviving. This is a time that we should be embracing.

Rebecca Evans lives in Idaho with her three children. She is an author, motivational speaker and Certified Empowerment Coach. Her books are available at amazon.com and local bookstores. To contact Rebecca for speaking engagements, go to inner-element.com.