By 
At work, last Friday, one of the colleagues brought up the subject of decorating for the holidays early. And, immediately we felt our mood relax as many of us drifted back to the happy memories of celebrations. We’re all smiling as well, thinking of how much fun decorating for the holidays can be. In fact, the holidays are one of the few times in the year, when the whole world conspires to love.
When you consider how much stress you experience, just in your day-to-day life, you can see how an interlude of happiness and merriment can affect your feelings of well-being.
Though December celebrations are supposed to be fun and relaxing, many of us connect the festivities and parties to extra stress. You’ll face pressure to get everything close to perfect and you may feel rushed to get it all done in time.
Just try not to get too bogged down in the hustle and bustle this holiday season. Remember the emotional spirit of this season; use your heart and your generosity and love. Make a real effort to be mindful and create memories.
Here are some tips to de-stress this season with TIWIW:
- Set a holiday budget
Make sure you go into the season with a budget, and stick to that budget. Don’t let money be the reason you stress this year. You can use “Wallet” feature on the TIWIW app to set the budget and track your expenses on shopping, experiences and even groceries.
2. Set time for every activity
Don’t try to do everything in one day. Take your time and enjoy the process. Don’t feel obligated to say yes all of the time. If cooking a huge, festive dinner isn’t your thing, it is ok to have a family tradition of each member bringing a dish or a side or a dessert to take some pressure off of you holidays.
If you are the host, you can create wish list of menu items and share with the guests. Each guest can pick and claim an item from the wish list. Encourage guests to use chat feature on TIWIW to let you know their new food habits in advance. It’s smart way of hosting a stress free holiday dinner.
3. Decide whom to spend your holidays with
Tensions don’t disappear just because it’s a holiday; so don’t feel like obligated to extend yourself to every person in your life. Make time during the days before or after so that you can enjoy the celebration and don’t have to rush from event to event. Make a real effort to create memories. #TIWIWMOMENT
4. Shop consciously and Stay organized
Make your wish list – gifts, parties to attend, etc. Share the wishes with friends on TIWIW and also encourage them to suggest/ share their favorites / things they need via their wish list.For festive gifts, do the majority of your shopping online and as per you friends’ wish lists on the TIWIW app. This will get you away from long lines, full parking lots, traffic and will save you the time and headache of running from store to store to find perfect gift for each person. You can even shop around for the best price and get started early. You don’t want the gift anxiety, disappointments and wastage.
5. Try to get some help
Get the whole family involved so you don’t feel like you are doing everything on your own. As noted above, you don’t have to do it all. The key is keeping whatever you do simple. TIWIW has “service” as one of the wish categories. Make the focus of at least a portion of your holiday wish list on shared activities or experiences. A luxury purse is nice, but a wish for help with decorations, cooking brunch, baking together, an afternoon alone with Grand parents and kids at the zoo will become a cherished memory.
The holiday season is all about giving and caring no matter which festival you celebrate. If we place our focus on this very idea to be conscious about what we do and buy and be a little kinder to each other, the stress will melt away. Be mindful and enjoy all of the little moments that make up the holiday season. Take in the sights, the family time, the smells, the sounds, the lights and the decorations.
From our homes to yours, we wish you and yours a magical and festive holiday season.
What do you think?