Stay healthy this holiday season. As the festivities approach and we become involved in family gatherings and group celebrations, we may also become stressed and forget to take care of ourselves. The following 10 tips could help you gain perspective and stay emotionally healthy and safe during the holidays.
1. Make a conscious choice to have fun and to focus on what can be enjoyable and who is dear to you.
2. After putting the gown or outfit you feel most comfortable in, do not forget to wear a smile. A smile goes with everything and it contributes to make you feel happy and satisfied.
3. Check your expectations at the door. Having unrealistic or exaggerated expectations of what a gathering “should” look like, or a family is “supposed” to do or be, or what people are “supposed” to give may leave you disappointed and unable to appreciate others for who they are and what they can contribute.
4. Avoid Passive, Aggressive, or Passive-Aggressive statements. They predispose you and others for conflict (i.e. “it would be nice if you at least once remembered that I do not like to dance”). Instead, assertively state your needs, knowing that not all of them may be met. (i.e. “Thank you for asking me, but I do not like to dance; I rather sit and enjoy the music”).
5. Be graceful and forgive offenses right away; they can weight “you” down while others may continue to enjoy the party. Most issues can be dealt with later, if you still remember them, and if you do not, they may have not been that important in the first place.
6. Set boundaries, not walls and be willing to compromise (i.e. “I prefer to sit here by the end of the table, but I can sit next to you toward the middle if you want”).
7. Be mindful. Focus on the here and now: Notice your feelings as you participate in different activities and acknowledge them (do not fight them) whether they are negative or positive (“I am really enjoying talking to my friend”, “This food tastes really good”; or “I am embarrassed about what I just said”; “That was not a nice comment; it hurt”). Feelings are transient; they will pass. You do not need to control them.
8. Do not maximize problems (“The meat burned, our party is doomed”; “We are running late, my night is ruined”) or minimize solutions and accomplishments (“We can eat the ham and the rest of the food”, “The desserts came out really nice”).
9. Listen to your body: eat when you are hungry, rest when you are tired, hydrate when you are thirsty, and avoid becoming intoxicated.
10. !!!! Do not drink and drive!!! Keep yourself and others safe!
1. Make a conscious choice to have fun and to focus on what can be enjoyable and who is dear to you.
2. After putting the gown or outfit you feel most comfortable in, do not forget to wear a smile. A smile goes with everything and it contributes to make you feel happy and satisfied.
3. Check your expectations at the door. Having unrealistic or exaggerated expectations of what a gathering “should” look like, or a family is “supposed” to do or be, or what people are “supposed” to give may leave you disappointed and unable to appreciate others for who they are and what they can contribute.
4. Avoid Passive, Aggressive, or Passive-Aggressive statements. They predispose you and others for conflict (i.e. “it would be nice if you at least once remembered that I do not like to dance”). Instead, assertively state your needs, knowing that not all of them may be met. (i.e. “Thank you for asking me, but I do not like to dance; I rather sit and enjoy the music”).
5. Be graceful and forgive offenses right away; they can weight “you” down while others may continue to enjoy the party. Most issues can be dealt with later, if you still remember them, and if you do not, they may have not been that important in the first place.
6. Set boundaries, not walls and be willing to compromise (i.e. “I prefer to sit here by the end of the table, but I can sit next to you toward the middle if you want”).
7. Be mindful. Focus on the here and now: Notice your feelings as you participate in different activities and acknowledge them (do not fight them) whether they are negative or positive (“I am really enjoying talking to my friend”, “This food tastes really good”; or “I am embarrassed about what I just said”; “That was not a nice comment; it hurt”). Feelings are transient; they will pass. You do not need to control them.
8. Do not maximize problems (“The meat burned, our party is doomed”; “We are running late, my night is ruined”) or minimize solutions and accomplishments (“We can eat the ham and the rest of the food”, “The desserts came out really nice”).
9. Listen to your body: eat when you are hungry, rest when you are tired, hydrate when you are thirsty, and avoid becoming intoxicated.
10. !!!! Do not drink and drive!!! Keep yourself and others safe!
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