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~ Back to Articles Index Page ~  Holidays are a joyous time of year and the more preparation you do, the more joy you'll have! Preparation and planning take the stress out of just about any task or holiday, leaving you to enjoy the event with family and friends. That's why this month's online version of this article is packed with Christmas planning ideas! Short-term, anticipatory stress can be quite invigorating; those times spent dreaming of what you'll get for Christmas, shopping for that just-right gown for the Christmas formal or waiting for special out-of-town guests to arrive. But long-term, usually avoidable, stresses can get you down if you let them hang around and ruin your holiday season. Make the commitment now to sail through this holiday season as joyfully as you can. We hope our suggestions will go a long way to helping you do just that. Don't miss reading this month's full article online as we'll talk about the different types of stresses, make recommendations for natural ways to combat stress, and there's weeks and weeks worth of holiday planning ideas to keep any stress that might creep in at bay. Eustress is the type of stress that is fun and exciting, and keeps us vital (e.g. skiing down a slope, skydiving or anticipating Santa's visit). Acute stress is short term stress such as racing to meet a deadline or searching for your child in the toy store aisles. Chronic stress is long term stress and is what does the most damage. If you're the type that starts worrying about Christmas in July and doesn't come down off the ceiling until after New Year's, that's chronic stress. Stress weakens your immune system leaving you vulnerable to colds and flu. Stress makes you cranky, runs your adrenals ragged and prevents you from sleeping properly. Worry never gets you anywhere and can actually take up to 16 years off your life span. Natural Methods For Beating Stress People who have high levels of vitamin C do not show the expected mental and physical signs of stress when subjected to acute psychological challenges. What's more, they bounce back from stressful situations faster than people with low levels of vitamin C in their blood. In one study, German researchers subjected 120 people to a sure-fire stressor – a public speaking task, combined with math problems. Half of those studied were given 1,000mg of vitamin C. Such signs of stress as elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and high blood pressure were significantly greater in those who did not get the vitamin supplement. Those who got vitamin C reported that they felt less stressed when they got the vitamin. 1  Vitamin C is necessary for maintaining all collagen structures, promoting wound repair, strong bones and teeth, and healthy gums. As it is a water-soluble vitamin, the body cant store vitamin C, making regular supplementation vital. The body's need for vitamin C increases during times of stress because vitamin C participates in the production of vital chemicals such as norepinephrine, which is needed for the "fight or flight" response. Vitamin C also acts as a detoxifier, helping to cleanse the body of toxins, such as cigarette smoke, carbon monoxide, etc. Prime time for stress to set in is when your head hits the pillow at night. Counteract this mind-numbing whir by practicing some deep breathing and concentrating on a relaxing word such as "calm" as you breathe in and out. If you're just too wound up to sleep, try a natural sleep aid.  This fast acting and very safe sleep formula can help you fall asleep more quickly, stay asleep, sleep more soundly, and wake up feeling refreshed. Tranquil Sleep combines L-theanine with 5-HTP and melatonin. These ingredients exert a gentle yet powerfully synergistic effect to promote restful sleep and calm nervousness. These ingredients are supported by extensive research for their role in treating insomnia. A lot of people suffer from anxiety and stress on a daily basis and research has found that the B complex vitamin can be of great benefit in helping alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and stress. The B complex vitamin can help alleviate general tiredness and lethargy that goes with fatigue, stress and anxiety. The B-vitamins are often called the "stress" vitamins. When our bodies are forced to withstand the demands of physical or emotional stress, the B-vitamins and other key nutrients are the first to be depleted.  This Hi Potency B Complex contains a full range of B vitamins, including 50 milligrams each of choline and inositol. B vitamins work together to provide the body with energy. They convert protein, carbohydrates and fats into energy and synthesize brain chemicals to help your mood and nerves. They have so much in common as a group that they are often considered a single entity. Try to have some relaxing or seasonal music playing in the background during the day or while you're taking on tasks you'd rather not do. Music soothes not just the savage beast, but calms you down, lifts your spirits, and distracts your mind from otherwise annoying thoughts. If you can, go for some long walks in the snow or just in the cool of the evening. Then savor a hot cup of tea and maybe a seasonal snack when you come in. If you still feel a chill, have a nice hot bath before going to bed. Flannel pajamas and fluffy socks never hurt either. Favorite holiday movies playing in the background, or playing front and center while you watch, can have a calming effect on your mind. They can distract you from the hustle and bustle of the season and remind you of just what it is that makes this time of year so very special.  Tuesday, November 24th Check through your household cleaners to make sure you have everything on hand. Wednesday, November 25th and Thursday, 26th Clean your house from top to bottom in preparation for the season. Friday, November 27th Bring out the Christmas decorations and check them thoroughly for breakage and burned out bulbs on strings of lights. It never ceases to amaze me how things get put away at the end of the season and come out of the box broken at the beginning of the next. Decide which ornaments or decorations need to be replaced or if you need to add more to your collection. I add six new hanging ornaments to the tree each year to build up my collection.
  You could wait until after the season for the half price sales to do your ornament shopping but by then all the gorgeous ornaments are gone. Buy your decorations at the beginning of the season during hot sales and you can still get the beautiful ones. Save being frugal for things like wrapping paper and Christmas cards. Saturday, November 28th Check through your supplies of holiday linens (kitchen, diningroom, bathroom) and make notes of anything needing replacement or adding to. Check your supply of bakeware and kitchen appliances so you have what you need when you start your baking.
Make sure when you sit down today to write out your cards that your house is quiet and you can really think about what you want to say. Send the kids out with friends or their Dad. Make a special cup of something hot, put on some relaxing inspirational music, take a deep breath, and write your heart out. This is a golden opportunity to really connect with the people you are sending the cards and letters to. When time is short the temptation is great to just write out one letter, photocopy it, and send it to everyone concerned. But in the world we live in today, the people nearest to us deserve more than just an "update" in a Christmas card. Don't forget to write one out (and even mail it!) to your husband, wife, and kids. They'll get a kick out of getting it in the mail. Or, slip it into the branches of the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Sunday, November 29th Book an appointment for a family or individual photographs to be taken to put into your Christmas correspondence. Dust off your list of Christmas gifts for your family and fine tune it. Start considering great hiding spots for the gifts until Christmas Eve when you put them under the tree. If you're a family with a tradition of placing the gifts under the tree before Christmas Eve, you're already ahead on this step! Gather up all the lists you've put together this week because tomorrow you're going shopping! Monday, November 30th Pick up anything you've made a note of on your lists. Tuesday, December 1st Go pick out your Christmas tree. Remember to let it sit outside and "fall" for a day or two before bringing it into the house. Optimally, you should let this happen inside the house in a back porch or laundry room if you have one but under the overhang around the back of the house is okay too. Start saying "Merry Christmas" to everyone you come in contact with (store clerks, friends, etc.). It will help everyone get into the spirit of the season! Time to open the first window on your Advent Calendar.
Have a metal spoon on hand before popping the cork on the champagne bottle this year. As soon as you pop the cork, insert the metal spoon. This stops the champagne from fizzing up and out of the bottle. Don't waste a drop! Wednesday, December 2nd Put up outside Christmas lights and door, window, and lawn decorations. Get the kids involved too! Thursday, December 3rd Finish outdoor decorations if necessary. Sit down with your recipes and decide which ones you are going to use. Depending on how your season goes you may need to plan a full-blown, house-full-of-guests food plan, or just a few simple meals/appetizers to share with friends and family. Consider what size of turkey you will be needing and get it ordered from your butcher. If you're really ambitious, make a few casseroles and stick them in the freezer now for those hectic "I just don't have time to cook" days or unannounced dinner guests. Walk up to the mailbox tonight and mail all those Christmas cards and letters you wrote out last week. Friday, December 4th Check your supply of Christmas music. You may need to update it. "Boney M" is a great group but, let's face it, sooner or later you'll want to expand your repertoire. Have a look at your video collection too. You may find yourself with a quiet couple of hours to relax in front of the TV and you'll want to be prepared in case there's nothing on to watch. DVD's/CD's make great gifts too. Now you'll need to make a list of neat little gifts for people in your life such as school teachers, bus drivers, your butcher, etc. These gifts don't need to be expensive but it's a great thing to remember the people in your life that keep it running smoothly on the peripheral. Here's a quickie list to look through:
Saturday, December 5th Use today to get all your overseas and international parcels and letters sent out. Sunday, December 6th Book That Babysitter! You may have already done this but if not, now is the time to line up a sitter for all those engagements that this season brings, especially New Year's Eve. Monday, December 7th Get up early, treat yourself to a specialty coffee on your way into town, and get all your shopping taken care of from your lists you made this week. Pick up any gifts you haven't purchased yet. Did you remember to get film for the camera? Tuesday, December 8th You might want to take this day to relax with your family and talk about any specific plans they have that will have to be worked into the schedule for this season. Wednesday, December 9th to Saturday, December 12th Do all your baking this week and stick it in the freezer for when you need it. Make sure you can find all your favorite Christmas recipes. There are quite a few things that you can mix up now and stick in the freezer to cook later, i.e., pie pastry and cookie dough (even appetizers and whole pies). Don't forget to put the baked "boo-boos" out on a plate (not quite picture-perfect tarts, cookies, etc.) for your family to sample now. This saves them the trouble of rummaging around looking for your "sweets stash" to sneak from! Book appointments this week for haircuts for yourself and the family. Sunday, December 13th Do all your gift wrapping this week while the family is at school/work or later in the evening when the kids have gone to bed and your husband can be kept at bay! Have you thought about a great hiding place for the gifts yet? Monday, December 14th You can use the next few days to do the little things you've overlooked or haven't been mentioned here. But basically, you've:
 REFERENCES 1. Psychology Today http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/vitamin-c-stress-buster Carol Roy is a Natural Health Practitioner, registered with Natural Health Practitioners Canada, who received her diploma from the Alternative Medicine College of Canada in Montreal, Quebec. With 9 years experience in her area of expertise, naturopathic medicine, Carol has also trained to become a fully qualified Reiki Master, Quantum Touch ® Practitioner and Reflexologist. are recommendations only and not a substitute for any medical advice or a replacement for any prescriptions. Seek medical advice for any health concerns. Consult your health care provider before using any recommendations herein. |
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