Surviving the holidays with your sanity and health

After what feels like a fall of crazy school schedules, shifting routines, work amping back up and shorter days, we're somehow in the throes of holiday season. I'll admit, it's hard not to want to give in to the tiredness and stress. This is a place I've seen before. It seems like every year around this time the temptation is there:

• To stop cooking and order take-out. 
• To hit snooze or sleep in instead of working out. 
• To take shortcuts. 
• To give in and resign myself to the crazy.

We're all there though, limping along to the holiday, running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to figure out which presents we still need to get, what to do with the kids for an entire break free of snow (there goes the skiing plan!) and fighting traffic if you live or commute anywhere that takes you within a 5 mile radius of a mall. And don't even get me started on where to put the damn elf for another few nights! 

This time of year is rough. I love the holidays - the food, the time with family, and I love giving gifts but the stress and frenzy that comes with it all I could definitely do without. 

So here's my thought as we look ahead to the next week. I'm doing a mini mental/physical challenge for myself and would love to invite you all to join me.

I'm embarking on a week of intention. 7 days of practicing being more intentional, more mindful in my actions, big and small. I know how to do it, I've done it before. It just slips away from me a bit when things get busier, work gets crazy and auto-pilot kicks in. I don't want to miss out on the little moments with the kids or the joy that is the holiday season. 

This week I'm taking back control of the wheel! 

How am I doing that?

STEP 1: I'm taking the time to get my head on straight

* I got up early yesterday and spent some time with my tea, the early morning quiet (soooo rare!) and wrote up my meal plan, set my workout schedule and wrote myself a to do list for the week.

* Then I took another look at that list and figured out what actually needed to get done vs. what would be nice but not necessary. (I find that when I put everything down on paper, I FEEL less stressed because I know I'm not going to forget it when my crazy brain sets in and there's just something about getting it out vs. holding it in that helps relax me.)

* With my must dos in hand, I assigned everything that NEEDS doing to a day and plugged it into my calendar/phone with reminders if I'm likely to forget.

* After all of that, I got in my workout and spent the rest of the day playing with the kids, visiting my adorable little nephew and enjoying our early holiday with my in-laws.  

STEP 2: I'm sticking with the familiar

Nothing fancy is happening here this week. Instead, I'm falling back on routine.

* I know I do better when I follow a routine and this week is no different. I know I am more focused, less stressed, and that I eat better when I start my day with a workout. Yes, I'd love to sleep in a little later but I know that the benefits of getting up and working out far outweigh that extra 30 minutes of sleep.

* When I figured out my meals for the week, I went easy on myself and am repeating as much as I can. I know that we all like dinner to vary night to night but beyond that, I'm a creature of habit. All of my other meals are repeats which makes planning easy and in the moment, there's no thinking required.

STEP 3: I'm not going to skip meals

This week we're eating just like we would in a regular week. Yes, we're going to be a little off of our routine for Christmas but otherwise it's a normal week in our house.

* I'm leaning a little more heavily on my crockpot and going with the basics and old reliables.

* I'm making sure to get my meals and snacks in and doing what I can to be prepared. I'm more apt to make poor or ill-thought-out choices when I'm off plan or skipping meals. So my meal plan is posted in the kitchen and I'm taking the 5 minutes at night to pack my meals and snacks for the next day so all I have to do in the morning is grab and go.

* After 2 days without my shakes, I am reminded that I need my daily shake to keep those sweet cravings at bay.  Not only does it help me keep my immune system strong, which I need this time of year with sick kiddos all around me, but it also helps with those evil cravings! After a weekend of overindulging in fudge, I'm back on my shakes and I'm doing my best to knock those cravings out with some yummy chocolate Shakeology (that and the fudge is now at work and out of my kitchen!)

STEP 4: I'm practicing being mindful and present

So much of our trouble when we're busy and tired arises when we're not being mindful. A few cookies grabbed carelessly here, a meal skipped there, a workout not planned ahead gets missed on a busy day and the next thing you know I'm more frazzled, with less energy and fewer tools in my toolbox to help me feel prepared to handle the crazy.

I'm not going to tell you it's easy.  Being mindful when you feel like you're losing your mind with lists of presents to buy and wrap, work stuff that needs doing and keeping patience with the 3 crazy kiddos who are itching for Santa to come is a challenge. I may not be able to hold on to it in every moment this week but what I can tell you is that I'm going to practice it as much as I can. 

That's my plan for the week. I'm doing what I can, giving what I can, and I'm going to cut myself some slack for the rest.

Part of learning how to make this lifestyle work for me was learning to accept that it’s ok to have moments where I can let go because I know that I’m setting myself up for success the rest of the week. This week is all about doing what I can to be consistent, to take care of myself, body and mind, and to end the week feeling strong, healthy, and proud of the little choices I've made along the way.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, minimally stressful week and that if you feel like you're losing your marbles, that you give yourself the space and time to breathe (even if it means locking yourself in the bathroom for a few minutes to get away and get your head back on straight!)