Whether you feel like hiding in the closet when holidays roll around or simply love the holidays, but find you can’t seem to keep up with all the demands, it’s time to make changes. You can keep your holidays happy and healthy in Irvine, CA, by planning ahead, taking time for yourself and focusing on what’s really important in your life. That’s easier to say than to do. After all, where do you find time for yourself when there are so many tugs on your time, making it impossible to keep up the pace.
Prioritizing is the key.
For most people, family comes first. After all, that’s what the holidays are all about, family. Jobs and paying bills are the next priority. Beyond that, you need to identify not only which ones tasks are more important, but also which ones need to be done immediately. If you can delay it, do that. If you can delete it, of course that’s the thing to do. Don’t forget, you can also delegate some of the responsibility or combine it with another priority and do it. An example of that would be to spend some great family time baking cookies together for the holidays.
Taking care of your family means taking care of yourself.
If you’re not at peak health or stressed out, getting everything done is even more difficult. Stress comes in many forms, but it’s always there waiting for you. Learn some meditation or deep breathing techniques to help lower the stress levels in minutes. Sometimes, even that won’t help, so burning off those hormones of stress is the next action. Make sure that your priority list includes a program of regular exercise. You’ll feel energized, less stressed and get more done when you stick with your program of exercise.
Eating healthy is easier when you plan ahead.
Sure it’s a time for sugar cookies and Christmas treats, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make meals healthier. Take an hour midweek and check out what’s on sale at the grocery. Create a week’s menus, including snacks. Make a shopping list and a family night of shopping on Friday. On the weekend, make all the meals for the week. Make extra and freeze some for the weeks ahead. Keep snacks and meals healthy. If you happen to eat a few treats during the week, it’s okay. Most of your meals will be super healthy and you’re allowed a few treats occasionally.
- If you don’t have a program of exercise, wing it. Walking more briskly, parking further from the door at the mall and spending less time circling or playing a game with the kids to zoom through chores can be a great start.
- Even if your day is full, don’t burn the midnight oil. Get adequate sleep. Not only will it keep you alert throughout the day and be heart healthy, you’ll also be less tempted to overeat. Lack of sleep increases the hunger hormone and reduces the hormone that makes you feel full.
- When you’re planning your day, keep an hour or two open, just in case things take longer. Have a few must do—but not necessarily today—items at the side that can be done if you find you have extra time.
- Plan something active for the whole family. Everyone, especially kids, will be glad to have an activity where they can run, make noise and get rid of the stress.