My daughter painted the oil above. It hangs over my desk.
This painting is my favorite one of all time. My reason? It reminds me of just how crazy I can become each day but especially those days that make up the holiday season.
The painting makes me take a step back and chuckle. How ridiculous “being human” sometimes is.
In an effort to help prevent you from looking like this from November 28th through January 1st, here are ten tips to consider:
- Have that glass of wine – Too many women skip drinking alcohol in an effort to lose weight or stay thin during this high-calorie, festive season.. However, drinking a glass of wine at the end of the day or at a party has its merits, including helping to maintain a reasonable stress level when coping with all of the added demands and obligations the season brings. Plus, wine is known to help kill colds before they begin, obliterating germs and bacteria in your mouth prior to taking hold. Finally, not partaking when others do may leave you feeling blue. With wine, a little goes a long way. Keep it in-check but “keep it” nonetheless.
- Increase the comedy in your life – Start your day with a laugh. Whether it be at yourself, your spouse or at a Drybar video. laughing makes you feel good.and places a productive, positive spin on the silliness of life. Seek out opportunities to giggle and integrate them into your day. There are plenty of them to choose from and they may even make perfect holiday gifts, ones that truly keep on giving and giggling.
- Don’t skip that “thing” – You know that “thing”, the one that you readily and mistakenly give up first when ‘more important’ things are pressing. Cling to that “thing” for your life as it is the exact thing that will save your life when you are ready to ‘take it’ on December 24th, as the gifts are plenty but the tape is few. That yoga class “you just don’t have any time for this week” will keep you centered.
- Make love to your partner – “Check out of reality” and check-in with your partner. Use these moments to revive the two of you. steal time away from the havoc, and strengthen the bond between — the one the rest of your family relies on. It’s the best present you can give them (and you). “Happy parents; happy kids.”
- Drench yourself – Water is naturally therapeutic for your mind, body, and soul. Warm, fragrant baths, cups of lavender tea, and aroma therapy provided by diffusers such as Natrogix Essential Oil Diffuser offer powerful and needed respites easily integrated into your daily schedule. Drink plenty of it to keep colds away too.
- Pick up a rake and a shovel – Bask in the benefits of nature while enjoying Zen-like exercise. Your head and heart will thank you. Plus the calories that you burn can easily and joyfully be made up with beloved holiday treats, minus the guilt.
- Keep perspective – The only thing worse than being “too busy” is having nothing to do and no one to shop for. Keep this in mind and be grateful. The bigger the crazy, the fuller the life.
- Stop complaining – No one wants to hear it nor have their holidays ruined by your overblown ego that perceives “your seasonal challenges as being greater than everyone else’s.” Get over yourself and get on with it.
- Limit your news to an hour a day – Replace the rest with uplifting movies and the Hallmark Channel. You’ll miss little and gain much, including a more positive view of the world. The news will be there again come the new year and you will have missed little in the break. We will all soon be binge-watching anyway.
- Kick this little bastard out the door – The little bastard of which I speak is called “Perfection”. Yes, the Jones’ Christmas card might reek of homemade excellence but you needn’t keep up. Be “O.K.” with what you can do and don’t worry about what you can’t. Debunk the illusion and claim Christmas for your very own.
If you peer deeply into the painting above, you will see a reflection of me — a mirage created when I photographed it. An error…it’s also an interesting way of re-emphasizing just how “sucked in” and maddening the holidays can make us feel, especially when unexpected things crop up. They always do.
Might I recommend that you expand your seasonal traditions by including these ten suggestions. Save your sanity and the very special times that lie ahead.