Find Your Calm This Holiday Season [Guest Blog Post by Julie Nowell]

In the spring of 2012 Julie & her family hit rock bottom. They finally realized, after years of dreaming, that it was time to leap. 6 months later they have moved to a small island in BC from their home in Vancouver, quite their jobs and re-focused their life on their kids. Julie’s blog “Pursuit of Happyness” follows their journey, shares their stories as they face their fears and redefine success for themselves.

As the holidays approach we start to see post after post about the reducing numbers of shopping days, the high levels of stress and the “oh no! They are sold out of Elmo’s” status updates.

To help you keep your cool this year (and to knock some sense into you!) here are a few quick tips for maintaining a sense of calm this holiday!

Slow down & let go of perfect: Not everything has to be done today, and not everything needs to be finished to perfection! Make time to do all the things you want to do over the holidays by giving up the idea of a perfectly coiffed 3yr old, or pristine floors. Find your balance, let go of the unrealistic expectations and spend your energy on making an experience, not a model home (or meal, or wrapped gift!) If someone notices some dust on the window ledge instead of the amazing baking and great conversation, they probably aren’t worth your time anyway!

Spend time not money! Watch your spending before you sink yourself into debt! This doesn’t just mean presents, but also groceries and liquor. Choose well, and get less than you’ll need . . . trust me! We always over purchase at the holidays, and seriously, does anyone need the monster sized wheel of brie? If you focus your energy on your activities, I bet you won’t even notice what you left behind at the store.

Enjoy the creativity! Think about how you want your holidays to roll out, then make it happen. So often we focus on buying a ready-made holiday, traditions and all, without putting the energy into making it unique and special for our family. Spend the time to get creative with gifting, have fun with the baking and let go of the rules around the Christmas tree! Traditions are as unique as the family and cannot be premade! Plan ahead to ensure that you aren’t rushing at the end and have the chance to enjoy all the little moments on your list (you can’t rush a gingerbread house!)

Eat Light! As moms, we all worry about weight gain over the holidays. This year, focus on the less is more concept! Quality, homemade snacks and treats are always better than the rushed store bought ones, so follow the tips above and make your baking and preparation an experience! I also notice that if I am involved in the baking of the treats the sugar scents tend to combat any sweet urges! After having my fingers in truffle mixture preparing teacher treats during the day, I have no desperation for them in the evening!

Make it simple! We are surrounded by distractions in this day and age, so this holiday to help reduce the stress, reduce the complexity! Focus on a few great ideas and let go of the expectations to have and do everything! Keep this in mind with gifts, food and entertaining! A simple black dress, streamlined meal and thoughtful gift can go much farther in creating a fabulous holiday than going overboard!

Most of all, remember, the holidays should be enjoyed, not rushed through! Let go of other people’s ideas about what you should do/buy/wear and find your calm and make the holidays full of peace and joy!

Just a simple mom, running a simple blog and trying to change the world…
Seriously… trying to change the world, one mom at a time!
I live hard, work hard & play…well, hard! I have 3 kiddies
(girls aged 6&9, and boy age 3)
Check out her blog at www.Julienowell.com: