This month on Slow·o·lution it is all about Christmas and how to keep our healthy habits during this wonderful time of the year. Very often when I talk to people during this time of the year, they are so stressed out and always in a hurry. For me personally this is the best time of the year, so I want to make sure that I enjoy everything around this wonderful holidays. From experience, I know that it is very difficult to enjoy something, when most of the time we are stressed out. That’s why I want to share with you, my tricks of staying stress free:)

Planning – I know that a lot of people think that it is not necessary to plan your weeks in detail (or at all!), but the truth is that if “you fail to plan, you plan to fail”….it is as simple as this! So plan each day of the weeks ahead of Christmas (according to your work load, and all the social events and cocktail parties you need to attend), as follows:

• Christmas shopping
• workout (if this is part of your usual daily routine)
• visiting any Christmas markets and attractions
• shipping of presents – would you need to ship any presents? Make sure you send them at the latest 2 weeks prior to Christmas……and also chose times of the day when you will not be the only one missing in the post office!
• grocery shopping
• writing and sending out Christmas cards (if you still do that!)
• meal prep for the week ahead so you still make sure that you get proper and healthy nutrition
• meditation (if this is part of your usual daily routine)

Presents – I know that most of us are really stressing out about presents. We have all had the situations we were running around in the last second to get the final presents. Well, all these could be done in a much more relaxed manner, and here is how:

• make a list of the people that you need to get presents for a few weeks prior Christmas
• set an overall budget for presents, and then break it down per person (and of course stick to it!)
• once you know the budget per person, start writing down ideas for each person. Here make sure you take into consideration a conversation with each person where he/she has mentioned something he/she wants, his/hers hobbies and interests, etc
• once you know what you want to get each person, check if you can get it online – will be delivered to your door, so you save some shopping time
• your goal should be to have all the presents ready a week prior to Christmas

Christmas Cards – a lot of people are not sending out Christmas cards any more, but if you are one of those that still does don’t wait till the last second to send them out.

• make a list of all the people that you want to send a card to a few weeks before Christmas
• decide whether you want a standard text, or individualize it for each person
• plan when and from where you will get the cards
• plan when you will write the cards
• plan when you will send out the cards – I would say start sending them out mid Dec at the latest

Decoration – a lot of people are using the same decoration every year, but there are also people (like me!) that like to have different color each year. If you are one of this people, make sure that you decide on color/decoration theme and get the decoration in the beginning of December already.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the “to do” list, and planning your time properly the weeks prior Christmas. And the bottom line is that by planning each small activity, you can actually enjoy the holiday season much more……especially the days leading to Christmas, because you won’t need to be running around, getting presents last minute! Planning will also allow you to still have (or better make) time for your healthy lifestyle – working out, nutrition, meditation, journaling, or whatever you might be doing on a regular basis! Even if you are one of those people that doesn’t like planning, try this method for this Christmas season and I can guarantee you, you won’t regret it;)

Enjoy and stay healthy

Anna