Protect your Health from Holiday Stress

Health/Aging

October 2006 - Coaching Corner

Smell the Coffee and the Cookies Too!

One Minute Coaching Corner - Health/Aging

10/17/06

Table of Contents
	Protect Your Health from Holiday Stress Sound Off - Your Chance to Be Heard and Give Back Last Month's Sound Off Responses

Sign Up

Quick Links
	The NEW Self Esteem Series Find out how to end yo-yo dieting Products to Inspire, Simplify and Motivate The Mom Coach Blog



In this mid-month, mini newsletter, we will explore one of the 8 major areas of the Wheel of Life. This month we will focus on Health/Aging.

Protect Your Health from Holiday Stress

“I don’t want to wear that costume.” “Let me check that candy before you eat it.” “When am I going to find the time to make all this food?” “Where are we going to come up with the extra money for gifts this year?” The stress of the holidays is upon us. With stress comes lower immunity and higher susceptibility to sickness. In addition, stress affects our mood and can tarnish the joy of the holidays. Here are some tips to make your holidays less stressful, thus keeping you and your family healthier. Be More Mindful and Plan Accordingly My husband laughs at my mom and me because we start planning early for the holidays. As funny as it seems to him, it works for us. Waiting until the last minute causes undue stress. If you’re organized and start planning early, there is more time to relax and actually enjoy the holidays. Start making your list of holiday tasks now and make small strides every week toward completing those tasks. Last year I relaxed the whole month of December. In the end, my husband appreciates my early planning. Simplify Who says the holidays have to be an extravagant event? You can say no to a lot of things to make the holidays simpler. Buy fewer gifts. Make less food. Decrease your holiday social engagements. Cut back on decorating. Go out for holiday dinners. Every other Thanksgiving, my family goes out for dinner at a nice restaurant in St. Louis. If the complications of holidays leave you feeling irritable, consider doing things differently. Center your holidays on enjoying family relationships and friendships. Let Go of Perfection So many of us want everything for the holidays to be perfect. We want to create memories for our children that last a lifetime. Memories are wonderful, but it’s your love that people will remember. Very few will notice the perfect meal you prepared. Those perfectly wrapped gifts will be ripped open in a moment. You don’t have to make homemade costumes, take the perfect picture, or remember everyone on your Christmas card list. Relax and enjoy the moment. Be Wary of Unnecessary People Pleasing As moms, we often want to make sure everyone around us is happy. We are pulled in all different directions by family and friends expectations, in addition to our own internal expectations. It can become very difficult to please everyone and still take care of ourselves. Remember self-care is very important during stressful times, so it might mean you have to say no to certain people. Concentrate on what’s best for you and your immediate family and politely disengage from expectations that cause stress. Nix the Wonder Woman Costume The holidays (or any time) are not the time to be super mom, and take on the world. Get rid of the attitude that you have to do everything yourself. This attitude will only cause resentment and interfere with the joy that is possible during the holidays. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Hire a housecleaner for holiday cleaning. Have a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. Let someone else wrap the gifts. If you can’t get the help you need, then commit to only what you can without causing stress. This holiday season, take time to protect your health by exercising, eating properly, getting plenty of rest, and eliminating the added stress of holidays.

Sound Off - Your Chance to Be Heard and Give Back

In this new feature of the One Minute Coaching Corner, I am going to give you an opportunity to give your opinion on the question of the month. The question will cover some aspect of next month's wheel of life area. The best answers will be displayed in the next newsletter so everyone can share and learn.

This Month's Question: What is your best money saving tip for the holidays?

Click the link below to send your response. Mark the subject line "Sound Off".

I want to share.

Last Month's Sound Off Responses

Question was: As a busy mom, how do you find time for exercise?

I found that the only time I have to exercise is 5:15 AM. When I first came to grips with that reality, I said, "Then, I just won't be exercising." Watching a Turbo Jam info-mercial changed all that. Now, I don't mind getting an hour less sleep because the energy that doing a Turbo Jam video gives me is more important than that extra hour of sleep. I have opted to sleep until 6:30 a few mornings in the past 6 months and not exercise. Those are the days I drag and am exhausted by 8:00 at night. -- Kendra

When it becomes a priority, I find the time to schedule my workout. It is also great to have a membership somewhere that has childcare, if needed and open 24 hours. Working out before work or late after children are in bed are great alone times. -- Stacey

I have finally committed to running a 35-45 minutes at 5:45 am every morning that my husband is in town. I leave right from the house, I'm not gone long, I can see the difference it makes in my body, and I feel great all day. When I get home I have time to hop in the shower before we start the chaotic process of getting ready for school. No longer do I drop the kids at school looking like I just woke up, and I'm only taking one shower a day. Although I am not a morning person, this schedule allows me to enjoy the rest of the day without that nagging feeling that I should be exercising and I spend the entire 3 hours my kids are in school doing things I can't do in the early hours. It works for me. --Sheila

I joined a local gym which is very close to where I live and try to get to 2 exercises a week with a friend or two. We usually check on each other when one of us misses and we'll ask if we'll see each other at the next class. It kind of helps me to be accountable. --Sherry

Thank you to all who participated and shared these valuable tips for others.

If you are interested in being more intentional about creating the kind of life you'd like to live, I am offering a 60 minute "discovery" session for a 50% savings. The cost to you is only $37.50 to help you evaluate your overall satisfaction in 8 major areas of life and set goals that help you move towards greater satisfaction in life. Please feel free to contact me if you have an interest.

Blessings,

Lori Radun, CEC

True to You Life Coaching, LLC

email: lori@true2youlifecoaching.com

phone: (630) 236-7142

web: http://www.true2youlifecoaching.com