Happy Holidays: Quick Survival Tactics
The Holidays are upon us! They can bring a host of joys and sorrows with them. Use these quick tips to skate through the Grinch’s and Gremlin’s efforts to sabotage your holiday spirit.
- When the dinner rolls are burning and the kids are screaming, reach out for help. Delegate. Your partner and sister could enjoy having a task assigned to them. They’ll have a sense of ownership and purpose, and you’ll have a sense of relief.
- When Aunt Sally teams up with Negative Nancy to criticize the gifts, dinner, or activities take a deep breath. Hit your pause button and reflect on what could be motivating her behavior – her aches and pains, poor sleep, “h-anger” (hungry-anger)… It probably doesn’t have anything to do with what’s happening in the moment. Choose to respond with compassion instead of reaction
- When you’re reminded of a loved one who is estranged or passed away, cherish the memories of fun times with him/her and prepare something special in their honor,
- When the family room feels too cramped and crowded, find an activity in another room to get some space. Wipe the kitchen counters, get a glass of water, stoke the fire, check on items in the oven, or throw away the crumpled gift wrap.
- If you’re spending the holidays alone, plan a fun activity for yourself. Take a walk around town, window shop, or enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and a classic movie. It’s your day to take care of you.
- When all else fails, here are a few catch-alls – practice gratitude – ground yourself by noticing your physical body sensations to get out of your head – look for the silver lining and learning experience – let go of expectations.
This is a short list of survival tactics can ameliorate the infinite myriad of snafu’s that can ensue during the holidays. Hopefully, they will arm you with a few methods to keep your cool, embrace difficult people, and skip down candy cane lane.
