It’s 4 days until Thanksgiving, 30 days before Christmas, 37 days before New Year, and to some of you, by the time you read this post the holidays might even be closer!
Do you feel your blood pressure rising? Are you feeling a bit stressed and anxious, thinking of the many things you have to do this holiday season? I have to be honest, I do and I am. I am a person prone to anxiety and if I don’t become proactive in dealing with stress I will be a basket case even before the holidays start.
So ….. here I am in front of my computer making plans and devicing strategies on how to combat holiday problems and turn them into joy. I will be sharing my holiday problems and my possible solutions. While reading my post I encourage you to think about the possible holiday problems you might have and how you can proactively deal with it proactively.
Before I proceed with my sharing, let me tell you that this post is part of a campaign by Travaasa Experiential Resort to help us take away the #holidayproblems out of the holidays. I will tell you more about the campaign later (and your chance to win a stay for two at Travaasa), for now please allow me to reflect on my own family problems and find a solution to it. This post is a win-win kinda post. I know this will benefit me and I believe it will benefit you as well.
Holiday Problem #1 – Stressing about Buying Gifts.
I love giving gifts! However, making a list of who to give and what to give can really be stressful because I have a limited budget (very tight one). If I have a bank account that says sky is the limit, I would be so happy buying gifts for everyone I love. But you see, I don’t. And I get sad about that.
My solution? I have to remind myself that gifts don’t have to be material things bought from a store. There are other gifts like gift of encouragement (write a letter, give a card with a heartfelt note), gift of time (coffee date, movie date, laugh together). I often hear people talking about how Christmas has become very materialistic and they don’t like Christmas at all. As for me I love Christmas, and so I wouldn’t let the pressure of materialism steal away the joy I feel when I think of the warm memories I have of Christmas.
Holiday Problem #2 – Feeling Homesick
I love living on Maui, but the hard part about it is I miss enjoying holidays with my extended family. Both my husbands’ family and my family lives far away from here. His family are in Connecticut, my family are in the Philippines (and California and New Jersey). Hearing the song “I’d be home for Christmas” brings me to tears. I long for my kids to experience Christmas with grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins.
My solution? My first thought is to fly back my family to the Philippines so they can experience having Christmas there. But that solution will create another holiday problem (financial stress) because the cost of round trip tickets are outrageous. So, plan B is to spend time with Hanai Families or Ohana (Surrogate families) here on Maui. And thanks to technology, I can Facetime my family from far away and can feel a little bit of closeness with them talking to them and seeing them on the video “real time”. Not exactly the same as “real life” get together but it will do for now. Funny, as I was writing this “wishing I am spending time with our family this Holidays” a thought came to my mind. Others might be saying that is their “holiday problem” – the drama that goes on when family gathers: the in laws who don’t get along, etc. etc. Do any of you have that kind of stress?
Holiday Problem #3 – Hectic Schedule
Holiday hectic schedule translate to having no time to exercise, eating junk food a lot, not getting enough sleep, not finding rest. Ugh, just typing about those things makes me feel tired. But it is true, holidays are hectic days. If I don’t guard myself, being hectic will steal away the joy I have of the holidays. So what to do?
- realize that I can’t say yes to everything thing, even if it’s all fun and good. I have to decide which parties I (or we as a family) should go and which one I (we) should pass.
- exercise early morning, even if it’s just 10 jumping jacks. Exercise is such a stress reliever and is great for our body but this is one thing I always neglect (and I shouldn’t)
- have some quite time and downtime. I am an introvert and quite time for me is indispensable. But even if one is not an introvert, it is important to set aside a time to be quite, to meditate. It’s is good for the body as it is good for the soul.
- Plan ahead. Drink lots of water; pack healthy snacks in my bag.
Holiday Problems Turned to Joy –
That caption on my photo, I thought about it and added it last might. I placed it there with my goofy photo to remind me that the important thing about holidays is to find and experience the joy it brings. I won’t let stress and anxiety ruin this wonderful time of the year. I want to be able to sing “Joy to The World” with glee. Oh I know it’s easier said than done, but it can be done … it can be…. What are some of your holiday problems? Do you have tips in on how to resolve and overcome holiday stresses? Hey, I have a suggestion for you…. Why don’t you share it with us at Travaasa #HolidayProblems sweepstakes and be entered for the chance to win a three-night stay for two plus two $300 American Express gift cards to help with your travel expenses. Travaasa built a #HolidayProblems Page as an effort to help us be relieved of some of the holiday stresses we experience. I am sure you’d find the page very useful this holiday season.
Ready to share and get a chance to win?
Click on the photo below and it will take
you Travaasa Page where you can post your entry.
To see my other posts on Travaasa, click this word Travaasa
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