Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and the countdown to Christmas has officially begun. I love this time of the year, even though the garden is full of rain puddles instead of snow.
Christmas is usually a really stressful time though, especially if you're already overwhelmed with your normal life. If you read my article How to schedule your day -- A guide for the easily overwhelmed, you know how to handle that already. But what do you do when all these extra tasks and obligations loom for a whole month? I have ten tips to avoid overwhelm and enjoy the holiday to the fullest! 
1. Don't do things just because you always have
Certain things are best to let go off. If there are things that feel more cumbersome than fun and cozy -- skip them or replace them with something else.
If you don't like shelling out the money and vacuuming pine needles three times a day under a live tree -- get a fake one. We always had a live one (since my family owns the forest around us it was easy and free) and I was always against plastic ones, but once I got one I had to admit it's pretty awesome. I splurged on a really nice one (one-time expense) with lights already attached, and I love it. If you usually go Christmas shopping with your sister, but you actually hate the crowds and how exhausted you get after a long day at the mall, order everything online instead and invite her over to wrap them. This way you save a lot of time (maybe even money) and you still get to spend time together. If it takes half a day to get your house and bushes wrapped in twinkly lights, but you actually don't really care about it, give that stuff away and focus on decorating the inside of your house instead. Give it to your brother-in-law who loves doing it. Think about what you usually do or what is expected of you, and see how you actually feel about it. Is it really important to you? To someone else? If not, maybe you can free that time up for something you actually enjoy or replace it with something easier and less time-consuming. 
Photo byFreestocks.org
2. Write things in your calendar
It can be good to schedule certain things so you can be mentally prepared for them. Decide when you'll decorate your tree, when you'll go gift shopping, and when you'll bake cookies. Having an outline can help you look forward to them instead of dreading all the things that need to be done and worrying about when you'll have time to do them.
If you have a pretty packed schedule, make sure to also schedule time to just relax. Sometimes it's necessary to make sure that you actually take the time to watch your favorite Christmas movies and eat those cookies you made. 3. Be mindful and notice the holiday
It's easy to get caught up in all the preparations and gift-shopping. But what good is it to put up all the decorations if you're never enjoying it?
Create a place where you can sit and just enjoy everything Christmas. This week I found a rocking chair at Goodwill and placed it by the fireplace with a big blanket, along with a side table (that may or may not be made of two big speakers) holding a lamp, a wax melter prepped with pumpkin spice, and one of my late grandma's Santa figurines. Now I can sit there, all cozied up in my blanket, and read while listening to Christmas music. It's especially great because all the dogs will curl up on the floor around me. Something else I just love to do is look at my Christmas tree. It is so pretty, with teal and silver ornaments, a white fluffy tree skirt, and matching teal-and-silver-wrapped presents underneath. Every time I walk by I just stop for a few moments and enjoy how beautiful it is and how peaceful it makes me feel. Find what you love the most in your place, and make a point to enjoy it and appreciate it. 4. Uphold traditions you love (or create new ones!)
I love traditions. A lot of them I can't do anymore, like trick-or-treating on Easter dressed as Easter witches or celebrating Walpurgis night with a ginormous bonfire containing old row boats. I'd have to go back to Sweden for that. But Christmas! Christmas I can do here.
It might feel counterintuitive to add MORE things to your calendar when you're just trying to stay afloat, but these are things that you choose, that you like. Things that make you feel grounded and happy. Instead of having obligations, you now have fun activities to look forward to, and you can have most (or all) of them in your own house so you don't have to go anywhere. Growing up, Grandma always made her own gingerbread dough and we kids spent the day making gingerbread cookies while she made sure they didn't burn in the oven. Most people I talk to here don't even know that you can make your own gingerbread houses (which still shocks me -- it's so easy! It takes maybe ten minutes to make the dough), so for the third year in a row I invited a friend over to initiate into this glorious tradition. We spent the evening in pajamas, listening to a Christmas radio station, baking and decorating. It is so much fun, and it really doesn't matter how your house turns out. I usually have quite wonky houses, but we decided that if you have two of them it's a charming village. ;) These are BY FAR the prettiest houses I've ever made. I used tweezers to place the sprinklers -- I have never put this much effort into it, haha. But the important part is that we had a great time creating a great mess. 
Other tradition ideas:
5. Make lists
Santa doesn't monopolize this one! It's a great way to stay calm in your normal life, and even more so now. Here are some examples of lists to make:
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters
6. Meditate
Meditate just a few minutes when you wake up in the morning. This way you will start your day in a calmer state and things will have a harder time getting to you. If you want a guided meditation or just a timer with calming background sounds I really recommend the free app Calm. Read my full review here.
7. Only say yes to invitations you actually feel excited about
Sometimes it's important to know when to say no. Parties can be a lot of fun, but if you feel stressed out about the four Christmas parties in the same week you're not going to enjoy them as much.
Is it hosted by a coworker you're not really friends with, but you feel obligated to attend? Politely decline. Is your friend from college planning a big drunken bash, but you have a four-year-old and would rather do some Christmas crafting with her? Let your friend know that you have plans with your family. Is your great-aunt hosting her annual Christmas tea party where you'd be the youngest one by thirty years? If it's not your cup of tea (horrible pun intended, #sorrynotsorry), send her a little something and apologize that you won't be able to make it. Think about what you actually enjoy (be it the office's Christmas party, Christmas lunch with your siblings, or that drunken bash I talked about) and go to those things. If you're going to something only because you don't want to disappoint a family member, but it stresses you out and you know you could use the time better, remember that the only one that can make you go is you. But don't opt out of all the things! Christmas is only once per year, so enjoy it! 
Photo byThough Catalog
8. Have a Secret Santa
If you have a big family or are low on money, maybe you can have a Secret Santa instead of giving everyone a gift. This way you save a lot of time trying to figure out what to give everyone and the person you do give a gift to can get something really nice and thoughtful, instead of something more generic because you lost your creativity (and funds) after the tenth family member.
9. Don't over-schedule
Make time to just enjoy the holiday. If you only have so many engagements you will actually look forward to them and won't be stressed out about barely being at home.
10. Keep doing your healthy habits
Don't skip your workouts or daily smoothie. Make sure you get enough sleep (or at least as much as you can), exercise (if you don't have time for your usual routine, do this easy body weight workout routine. One round only takes five minutes!), and eat as healthy as you can. You don't want to skip all the holiday goodies, but do you really need to eat the whole jar of cookies? This will definitely be my biggest challenge, haha.
It can also be really good to keep writing in your journal (or start, if you don't usually do that). It can be really stressful spending so much time with family, so having an outlet for past grievances and current annoyances can save the peace during the holiday. 
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Hi, I'm Erika!I know what it's like living with anxiety and depression, but living and living are very different things. I believe in practical tips and methods, and I will use them to help you be the brave, daring, darling individual you are. Categories
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