You're probably now seeing a lot of articles about dealing with stress during the holiday season. It's all pretty good advice ("Don't try to be perfect." "Delegate chores."), but often the suggestions require a change in attitude that takes time.
Time is probably just what we don't have, so following the advice can be difficult. What we need are some quick solutions in the middle of the craziness.
It also occurs to me that stress follows us all the time, not just during the holidays, and that all sorts of activities could use a moment of peace and a feeling of being recharged (writer's block, anyone?). So here, instead of "Christmas stressbusters" (an ugly and overworked term), are some five-minute refreshers.
1. Enjoy the scenery. Get your eyes off the screen and look out the window or across the room. Find whatever beauty might be there and savor it.
2. Listen to the quiet. Turn off all the background noise, even your own music, for just five minutes. It makes a difference.
3. Doodle. Spend some aimless time with paper and a pencil.
4. Pet your pet. Appreciate the beauty of fur or scales, or just watch the pretty fish.
5. Remember your dream. Not your big dreams, but the one you had just before you woke up this morning. Spend some time in that world, even if (maybe especially if) it makes no sense.
6. Wash your hands. It gets you away from the problem at hand (pun intended), helps warm or cool you, and a bit of hygiene always helps.
7. Walk. Even if you're stuck in an office, do a round of the cubicles or go up and down the stairs.
8. Break something. Wrap one of those extraneous coffee mugs in a towel and smash it with a hammer or large book. There, doesn't that feel better?
9. Crunch something. Stress snacking isn't considered a good thing, but it has its place. Besides, the crunch doesn't have to come from a package; raw vegetables make a satisfying noise.
10. Leave it. Stop whatever it is that's giving you stress and put it aside. It'll still be there in five minutes, but you'll come back to it fresh.
Time is probably just what we don't have, so following the advice can be difficult. What we need are some quick solutions in the middle of the craziness.
It also occurs to me that stress follows us all the time, not just during the holidays, and that all sorts of activities could use a moment of peace and a feeling of being recharged (writer's block, anyone?). So here, instead of "Christmas stressbusters" (an ugly and overworked term), are some five-minute refreshers.
1. Enjoy the scenery. Get your eyes off the screen and look out the window or across the room. Find whatever beauty might be there and savor it.
2. Listen to the quiet. Turn off all the background noise, even your own music, for just five minutes. It makes a difference.
3. Doodle. Spend some aimless time with paper and a pencil.
4. Pet your pet. Appreciate the beauty of fur or scales, or just watch the pretty fish.
5. Remember your dream. Not your big dreams, but the one you had just before you woke up this morning. Spend some time in that world, even if (maybe especially if) it makes no sense.
6. Wash your hands. It gets you away from the problem at hand (pun intended), helps warm or cool you, and a bit of hygiene always helps.
7. Walk. Even if you're stuck in an office, do a round of the cubicles or go up and down the stairs.
8. Break something. Wrap one of those extraneous coffee mugs in a towel and smash it with a hammer or large book. There, doesn't that feel better?
9. Crunch something. Stress snacking isn't considered a good thing, but it has its place. Besides, the crunch doesn't have to come from a package; raw vegetables make a satisfying noise.
10. Leave it. Stop whatever it is that's giving you stress and put it aside. It'll still be there in five minutes, but you'll come back to it fresh.
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