Three Tips to Find the Spirit Again

I love the holidays, and I look forward to them every year. Everything seems like it is going to be great at Thanksgiving then December 11th creeps up on me. I still have presents to buy, meals to plan, and what seems like impossible tasks to accomplish. I wish that magical feeling I felt at the end of November would come back and stay all year long.

Over the years I have learned to let things go, and while it is a process, I am getting better at it. Here are three points I find help me to ease into the spirit once again:

1. Use your resources

I can literally have panic attacks over being late. If it is work or taking the kids to school, I HATE being late. Since I am never late in my professional life, I give myself slack when it comes to gifts, and I use my resources wisely. I now ship most things directly and pay that little extra cost for gift wrapping. The $5.00 for a gift box out weights my racing heart. I also order grocery’s online and pick them up when it is available. Nothing sucks my time like shopping, and it is a small price to pay to have someone else do it for me.

2. Ask for help

I am not great at asking for help, yet I need it and especially around the holiday season. While it is hard letting go of certain tasks, I have come to understand the power of asking for help in a direct manner. The younger version of myself would ask for help loosely, not giving specific details or be so casual that my need wasn't recognized as a cry for help. Now, I know that clarity is not being bossy, it's just making sure what I need to get done will get completed closer to the way I want it. So go ahead and put a deadline on when the lights need to be hung by and even give him one for a removal date.

3. Let it go

I have to let go of the fact that my house will be a little cluttered for a couple of months. I have to let go of the fact that I will not work out as much during the month of December, even though I eat too much. I have to let go that I can’t make everyone happy and that it really is the thought that counts sometimes. So let go of the little things and remember never to sweat the small stuff!

Go ahead and be lazy right now. Take the shortcut and let it go. This holiday isn't just for those around you but for you too!