Here’s a few resolutions I came across to help you keep the holidays more festive, fun and less stressful…
Make the best of whatever situation you’re in. This can be particularly hard if you’re not at all interested in doing some of the required holiday activities, but making the best of a situation is only going to help you. When it comes to the holidays, there are things you have to do sometimes — and making the best of them is only going to make them easier to get through.
See the good in the people around you. Oddly enough, spending time with the people you love the most can be pretty difficult. It’s tempting to see their faults, to recall the things they may have done that have hurt you in the past. But this holiday, don’t do those things. Instead, shun all negative thoughts and focus on the good things these people bring to your life. Be positive.
Remind yourself everything (and everyone) doesn’t have to be perfect. We build the holiday season up all year long and suddenly it arrives and doesn’t always live up to our ultra-high expectations. This year, lower your expectations to a reasonable level and remind yourself that this is just one holiday season. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be perfect. And, yeah, other people don’t have to be perfect either.
Stay in the moment to avoid unnecessary stress. When you start thinking about the past or the future, that’s when you can really get caught up in stress. The holidays should be, at the very least, a day you can focus on the now and stop worrying about the past year or the year to come. Hard as it might be, make a commitment to spend your holidays in the present moment. Focus on the now.
Help others out — and ask for help when you need it. Help can be a tricky thing. We all need it at times, but too often we don’t remember to offer it or ask for it. Even though it might be hard to keep in mind, try your best to ask others if they need help and ask yourself if you might need help from others. It can be tough to ask for it sometimes, but it will make your holiday a lot happier if you do!
Take it one day, hour, minute at a time. Remember this holiday is only one part of the year and, even when it’s tough, you can certainly get through it. If you’re faced with troublesome situations, remind yourself that you can get through the next minute, the next hour, the next day. Stress levels may be high, but try to keep everything in perspective and stay calm.
Remember that you’re more than this one day of the year. People who put a lot of emphasis on the holidays often have a hard time remembering their worth is much more than a single day or event. The day doesn’t have to perfect and neither do you. You are so many things and it’s essential to remind yourself that the outcome of one day does not represent your entire worth as a person. Remember: it’s just one day.
Put yourself in positive situations (and avoid negative ones). Though you may not be able to choose exactly how you spend the holidays, you often have a choice when it comes to some situations you put yourself in. If you know a certain person drives you nuts, do what you can to stay away from him or her. And, whenever you can, find the people that inspire you and make you feel great and spend time with those individuals.
Don’t be afraid to say no. With the holidays often comes pressure to say yes. It’s okay to say “no” when you need to. If something makes you unhappy or uncomfortable, don’t do it. Some might call you a Scrooge, but if you want to be happy this holiday, you have to remain true to yourself.
Celebrate the little things (because, really, those are the big things). Celebrate the little things. These are the things that might not seem like a big deal, but they are the things you will end up remembering when the day is over. Pay attention and all of those little things will add up to one big celebration.
