Holiday Survival Guide

Author: Sue Horwitz, AFL Client Coach

My friend Jen told me that getting through the holidays is like getting gas when you are on fumes. Picture this: She’s in the car and panicked. Her heart is racing, and her mind is spinning. The kids are fighting, and she’d have a good cry if she weren’t driving. So, these are her unique antidotes to avoid holiday stress and panic.

Unlike her spouse, Jen won’t drive around looking for cheap gas; she wants to simplify as much of life as possible. For her, this time of year is about simplifying.

And Jen makes things easy. Unlike others who labor over what is the perfect gift for friends and relatives, she finds a few things she loves to give and buys enough of them to go around. Bulk buying occasionally saves her money, but more importantly, it gives her time for other things.

She has simplified the menu for holiday meals and asks others to participate by bringing food. To eliminate brain fog, she writes everything down and schedules her to-do list.

And finally, to bring the gas metaphor full circle, she puts gas back in her tank by allowing herself one day for rest and relaxation. Whether she locks herself in the bathroom, spends the day in bed, or goes to a favorite hideout, she spends the day alone and quietly.

If you’re struggling with the holidays, here are tips from our last newsletter you can read by clicking here.

Final thought.

Practice your elephant-in-the-room divorce script when bumping into well- and not-well-meaning friends during the holidays. I remember being caught off guard and saying too much. I would leave feeling embarrassed and regretful about ruining someone’s cocktail.