Dealing with Holiday Stress

By

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

– November 20, 2009Posted in: Life

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Now that we’ve gone through all of the major holiday budget busters, let’s deal with the last problem: dealing with upcoming holiday stress.

Learn how to make a perfect poached egg a la Well-Heeled!

Eat Right

The simplest advice is the best.

Don’t neglect your breakfast, and don’t stuff your body with greasy, heavy foods, or anything with too much salt or sugar.

Keep it light, nutritious and it will help you cope better with stress.

May I recommend a couple of poached eggs over some tomato slices & herbs, with a side of toast? 🙂

Don’t Rush

If you have to leave for another city, slow down, leave later and don’t rush.

Take the later flight if you must get things tied up before you leave.

If you get there a couple of hours later, will that really be the end of the world?

No. It won’t. It will still be a beautiful holiday.

Be Early

I know I said to slow down and leave later, but ONLY IF you can get it organized without stressing yourself out, show up a day earlier before anything is planned.

And if not, some of the best times to travel is before 2:00 p.m., early in the morning so you have a whole day, rather than being exhausted at 3 a.m. coming off a red eye flight.

Consider Taking The Train or The Coach

If you cannot get relaxed, force relaxation upon yourself.

I personally hate coach buses, but if you don’t have an alternative, it’s better than nothing.

With coaches or trains you just have to show up on time and wait.

No need to be there an hour or two before to get through security.

It can be a good way to relax, unwind and make time for yourself to read that magazine you bought, or just to sip a container of tea to calm down.

When I traveled back and forth from Toronto to Montreal, it was a 5 hour train ride.

After the first couple of times, I started to love it.

I could start by admiring the landscape, while drinking a tea and tapping away on my laptop coming up with ideas or a list of things to do.

And for the remainder, I’d spend the time watching a good movie for an hour or two, or some great videos.

Then I went back to finishing whatever I had to get done. Including sewing buttons back on my jacket! I brought a little sewing kit and went to town on all the things I had to get mended.

There’s a set block of time where you just have to sit and wait, and you can use the time to close your eyes, take a little nap, or get organized.

Whatever floats your boat.

Don’t Exhaust Yourself

Start early in your shopping if you know it takes you a long time to get it done.

Wear comfortable shoes, and take your time, going through the list of people to buy for, methodically.

Get home early so you have time to unwind, unpack your shopping bags and to sit down for a light supper before sleeping.

Don’t over exert yourself into trying to squeeze every last minute of holiday cheer into your day. It’s going to get old, fast.

And thus concludes the holiday segment for this week.

Those are my major tips for beating holiday rush and stress.

What are some of yours?

Tags: Guilt, Holiday, How-To, Shopaholic, Shopping, Stress, Thoughts

About the Author

Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver. I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year. Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about my story here, or visit my other blog: The Everyday Minimalist.

21 Comments

1. TheCheapGirl.com

   Posted November 23, 2009 at 6:29 AM

   I don't really like getting stuck in the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping even though I love the hustle and bustle 🙂

   I have a gift closet and shop throughout the year especially during major sales. Every time I see something that someone might like I buy it and leave it in my gift closet. At the end of the year, during b-days etc., all I have to do is to shop my closet for presents.

   • FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

     Posted November 23, 2009 at 10:20 AM

     I am definitely not a hustler or a bustler.

     But I like going with people to gift shop. I just don’t like doing it myself…. 🙂 No pressure if I help someone else. Big pressure if it’s for me or someone I know.

     Gift Closet? What a great idea!

2. Lynx

   Posted November 21, 2009 at 4:39 AM

   I'm usually done gift buying before December, I spread it out over time so its not stressful and not a strain to my pocketbook.

   I generally like holiday travel though, driving through desolate nomans land during the height of bad weather season is always an adventure.

   Like Thanksgiving few years back, freak snow storm on the way home. Got a call from Mom 1/2 way down the 250 mile road home that it had been closed, uh oh. Snow was 16 inches deep by the time we got to where it was plowed again. We had chains but my little Jeep pickup did not have 4WD and we were having to go 15-20mph cause I could barely make out the roadway. When we got into civilization and stopped to warm up and chip another hole in the grille for air, other stranded motorists started snapping pictures of the truck and asking OMG Which way did you come from!? The whole thing was white and covered in a thick sheet of ice, and the antenna was bent all the way back with ice sticking forward like a reverse flag. I thought it was pretty cool, C was not amused 🙂

   Xmas after that, heater broke again and it was bone chillingly cold, luckily we had lots of clothes from our gifts. I had 4 pairs of socks on, my shoes wouldnt fit and C was bundled up in 3 mexican blankets I used for seat covers and still shivering. She was NOT happy! Had to stop every 5-10 miles to scrape the ice off the outside and inside of the windshield.

   Another Thanksgiving, engine exploded in spectacular fashion leaving hunks of metal and a trail of smoking oil down the freeway at 270K on the odometer. Amazingly the Jeep still ran well enough to limp another 20 miles to the nearest gas station where we drank cappuccinos for 3 hours and watched an amazing sunset waiting for Dad's Inc. towing service. (Still havent gotten around to fix it and it still runs that way on 3 cyl, those things are indestructible)

   Xmas after that in my first ever brand new car (lol), forest fire halfway between here and there. They had evacuated several communities and the wall of smoke looked like something out of the Grapes of Wrath. No other way through and when the wind calmed some they eventually let us stranded travelers through the thick smoke with sparks and embers blowing across the road in some spots.

   C is usually not pleased at the time, but I tell her If everything went as planned you wouldn't have any cool stories to tell your coworkers 😉

   • FABULOUSLYBROKE

     Posted November 22, 2009 at 9:23 PM

     LOL "Where did you come from"

     I hate going out in winter. Period. Unless it's for food, a craving for Pho or Starbucks, I don't venture out.

3. Mabel and Zora

   Posted November 21, 2009 at 12:08 AM

   Planning on taking the train from Portland to San Diego in the spring!

   • FABULOUSLYBROKE

     Posted November 22, 2009 at 9:23 PM

     Smart move!

4. Kristin

   Posted November 20, 2009 at 8:10 PM

   Eat right during the holidays? Surely you jest! ah ha ha. Although your breakfast rec does sound awfully tasty!

   • FABULOUSLYBROKE

     Posted November 21, 2009 at 7:08 PM

     Well, by right I meant bacon and eggs 😉

     Or to eat at all. Some people forget!

5. doctor S

   Posted November 20, 2009 at 6:51 PM

   I absolutely despise holiday traffic. My commute to work passes by the King of Prussia Mall (one of the biggest in North America) and it makes me hate the holiday season commute.

   More than anything about the holiday season, I stress about gifts and money. I am extremely bad at getting good gifts for people and always feel like I need to spend more to get something nice. Half of the problem is me waiting til the last minute to get someone something and I dont know what the other half is.

   Gift giving should be year round and more meaningful, rather than just during this holiday season. I blame society!!! K im done ranting.

   • FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

     Posted November 20, 2009 at 2:12 PM

     It is probably why I avoid going out during the holidays.

     And I agree with gift giving year round rather than just once!

6. Shelley

   Posted November 20, 2009 at 6:15 PM

   Is there a link to the instructions on how to do poached eggs; I love them, but I'm no good at making them.

   I love train travel, particularly compared with driving. When my other half retires, I am going to lobby for train over plane travel — you can go to the loo anytime you wish and no staff tell you what to do with seat belts, etc.

   I make a long list of everything that needs to be done from the time I issue invitations to my 'real American Thanksgiving Party' (Brits love it) until New Years Day. I call it the Christmas Marathon and it is always wearing, but the list — with deadline dates — helps me keep my sanity, as I know each day what I need to get done.

   Bring on 2010!

   • FABULOUSLYBROKE

     Posted November 20, 2009 at 6:33 PM

     Yes, here it is:

   • Emma

     Posted November 20, 2009 at 8:30 PM

     Heads up: that link doesn't work, but that picture sure does make me want poached eggs right now … I didn't eat lunch since I had a headache and the thought of eating made me feel ill, and now it's too late to eat my meal at the office.

     • FABULOUSLYBROKE

       Posted November 21, 2009 at 7:06 PM

       Thanks for letting me know! I'll go fix it.

       Oo.. hope you feel better 🙁 Not having food makes me feel sick.. so I tend to eat like a squirrel the whole day

     • FABULOUSLYBROKE

       Posted November 21, 2009 at 7:07 PM

       Here it is!

       Alexandra

       Posted November 20, 2009 at 5:32 PM

       That's great adivice!
       It still amazes me how train can be so expensive in North America. I understand the distances are longer but it doesn't compare to the cost of strain travel in Europe.

       • FABULOUSLYBROKE

         Posted November 20, 2009 at 6:34 PM

         That's what BF says 🙁

         I wish it was cheaper. It was so crazy expensive and slow….

     • That Kind of Girl

       Posted November 20, 2009 at 3:44 PM

       I couldn't agree more with your excellent advice about taking the train if possible! There's something so gratifying about knowing you have several hours in front of you to spend reading, writing, or even just catching up on work or domestic obligations. Plus, I often find that when you factor in taxis to the airport, security lines, and all that drama, the train is a bit faster from point A to point B. And it so much more civilized than air travel!

       • FABULOUSLYBROKE

         Posted November 20, 2009 at 6:34 PM

         Civilized is the word 🙂 Less delays, security…

         I really enjoy it.

     • Investing Newbie

       Posted November 20, 2009 at 3:12 PM

       I really appreciate your tips on dealing with the Holidays whether it be shopping or stress, though the two aren't mutually exclusive.

       Today is the first of 9 Gridlock days for NYC and everyone is advising others to take public transportation because of the traffic rules that are in place. Apparently the Gridlock days arise because of increased shopping traffic to certain areas so certain traffic rules are instituted so pedestrians can rule the roads. I want to avoid those gridlock days as much as possible, although I do have that discount from Victoria Secrets calling my name…

       • FABULOUSLYBROKE

         Posted November 20, 2009 at 6:35 PM

         That is a pretty cool initiative! Gridlock days

         I'd like a day where downtown is blocked off to all cars. Would make for some cool shopping & interaction

         Montreal does that a lot in the summer. 🙂 I love it!

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