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Take the Stress out of Cooking a Christmas Day Meal

December 2, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The holidays always come quicker than we anticipated. Family members roll into town and the festivities begin. If you are the one cooking the meal on Christmas Day, you probably felt the stress level rise as everyone walked in your door. Here are some tips to help you plan and enjoy Christmas.

Cooking probably falls to you on any normal day, but the holidays are anything but normal. You’ll need help and that requires that some things are in place before you can do that. Keep reading to find help for your harried soul.

1. Get Organized – This is a toughie for most people because they don’t know where to begin. The preparation for a holiday meal actually begins weeks before. Right after Thanksgiving, begin making your list of holiday dishes you will prepare for Christmas Day dinner. Go through your cabinets to see what you need. Recipes that call for lesser used items are tops on the list, so you can begin finding those things. [Read more...]

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Tips to De-Stress Before and During the Holiday Season

November 21, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The holidays are a time to spend with family and friends. Unfortunately it can be anything but relaxing, especially if you are hosting dinners or parties. Here are a few tips to help you reduce the stress of what are supposed to be happy moments.

The holiday season is usually happiest for the participants and not the host or hostess. But, you can change that this year. When you feel the tenseness creeping up your body:

1. Practice breathing exercises. You’d be amazed how much this works. The brain needs oxygen; in fact it needs 20% more oxygen than the rest of your body. Deep breathing increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, allowing you to think more clearly. That seating arrangement problem for Thanksgiving dinner will seem to solve itself. [Read more...]

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Plan To Manage Holiday Stress

December 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Everyone finds themselves stressed out during the holiday season. But for adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), November through January can feel like a whirlwind of tasks and responsibilities. Lack of time management will result in undue pressure and overwhelm for the ADD adult.

One way to take the stress out of the holidays is to plan for them. These simple steps can help the ADD adult manage their time and tasks during the holiday season, thereby relieving unnecessary stress.

Create one hour this week to plan your holiday preparation schedule, and follow these steps:

Step 1 – Make a List of all the Things You Need to Do to Prepare for the Holiday

This probably includes gift shopping, writing and mailing holiday cards, decorating your home, planning your travel, etc. After you have made this list, put a star next to each of the items that you don’t like to do. (Maybe you get bored writing out the holiday cards, or maybe you detest shopping.) [Read more...]

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Enjoy the Season – 5 Ways to Manage Holiday Stress

November 23, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

By Margaret Page

The holiday season is notorious for being the most stressful time of the year. In addition to the demands of regular life, we have shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking, school plays, parties, menu planning, in-laws… and did I mention it’s the most stressful time of the year?

Unfortunately, a stressful holiday is simply not enjoyable. If you’ve ever been there (and honestly, who hasn’t?), you’re familiar with that silent promise: next year, I’ll do it differently.
Aside from renting a remote cabin, there’s only one way to ensure a low-stress holiday season: have a strategy in place to keep it all manageable. Here are five easy ways to minimize the stress of the holiday season:

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