Managing Holiday Stress

The Holidays can be a stressful time for many people. The gift obligations, family traditions and financial burden of misguided expectations can wreak havoc on a person’s psyche and budget. If you’re like most of the general population, you haven’t set aside funds for Christmas shopping. The daily responsibilities of life and monthly obligations of mortgage, utilities, groceries and car payments have eaten up most if not all of your available funds. At some point in time we all have to come to terms with “our” reality. What works for our friends and family may not work the same for us. If we consider the true meaning of Christmas, we can avoid a great deal of stress and overdraft fees! What better time than now to get intentional about managing the financial stress and family traditions of the holidays. My greatest advice to help you along your journey is to make new traditions and create new memories. One way to avoid excessive spending is to practice the 4 Gift Giving Challenge. 1. Something they want. 2. Something they need. 3. Something to wear and 4. Something to read. You can find out more at: http://moneysavingsisters.com/4-gift-christmas-challenge-want-need-wear-read/ Some other holiday stress triggers include: unhappy memories and past heartbreaks. To this I say create new memories and focus on the love of those that are present with you. Some local inexpensive activities include local holiday parades and Christmas Tree lighting events. You can also check out holiday social gatherings being offered through your county. Hopefully these tips will give you alternatives to consider in your quest for stress management! Peace and Wellness SuGa