Avoiding Holiday Overwhelm

Who, what, when, where, why, how. I bet you’ve heard this list before. Maybe it was about news reporting or project management. As it happens, these are the questions to consider when making the decisions that will help you avoid holiday overwhelm.

Let’s review them.

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  Who do you want to, or really have to, spend time with this holiday season?

• What would be the possible occasions for the get-togethers or gatherings?
• When, if not an actual holiday dinner, would be most feasible and even enjoyable to connect with this person or these people?
• Where would the get-together take place? Is travel necessary? Must you be the host with all the required work?
• Why are you either planning or being talked into doing this? What’s the big picture? Is it about spending time with friends or family? Is this what makes the most sense for you as the year draws to a close?
• How will you make sure you have prioritized the most important get-togethers? And how can you set boundaries around how much energy you expend in planning, participating, and possibly recovering?

Even people we love can cause stress this time of year. To get the most out of your visits, make sure to maintain the boundaries you put in place to keep yourself happy through this “joyous” season.

The “who” of the holidays is stressful enough. However, if you plan on giving gifts, I suggest you walk through that too.

As your Facebook feed will probably suggest at some point, there is no need to go broke or crazy because of the holidays.

-Sydney Metrick