Help people to cope with stressful holiday situations.
During the holidays, finding time to clean and decorate a household in preparation for guests, purchase gifts, send out greeting cards and still maintain the everyday routine is a lot to handle physically, emotionally and financially. Help busy, stressed adults cope by creating a bulletin board that highlights ways to alleviate stressful holiday situations with helpful tips and shortcuts. Use the board to teach adult school students or lead a seminar at work. Alternatively, post the board in your office, church or any other high-traffic area you feel it would be of assistance. Does this Spark an idea?
Quick Recipes
Cooking and baking can be big source of stress during the holidays, because when we think of holiday food we tend to think of time consuming and care intensive recipes that just don't fit in with the average person's everyday schedule. Offer some quick recipes and kitchen solutions that will save both time and money for the stressed out chef. For instance, suggest a list of staple cooking items that everyone should have on hand to avoid last-minute trips to the grocery store. Also encourage people to plan menus ahead to cut down on time spent wandering through grocery store aisles, and offer a list of items that can be made in advance of an event to spread out the work.
Budget Planning Tips
Holiday purchases can put an added strain on an already tight financial situation, so offer some tips for planning and sticking to a special holiday budget. Encourage people to take a look at their finances before heading out to the mall for a shopping spree. They should consider how much they can realistically spend on food and gift items that are outside the realm of everyday purchases, and then create a shopping list that sticks to this budget before entering a store. Shoppers should not stray from the prepared list. People with tighter budgets should consider making homemade gifts for friends and family, or perhaps should implement a Secret Santa gift exchange in which only one gift needs to be purchased per participant.
Staying Healthy
With a full schedule, it can be difficult to stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan, and as the holiday season coincides with the flu season, it would be helpful to provide some tips to stay healthy in the face of stressful situations. To prevent the spread of germs while people are out running errands, suggest carrying a small bottle of antibacterial hand gel that can be applied throughout the day. Also offer suggestions for quick immune system boosters like vitamin C tablets, and remind people not to abandon healthy habits; encourage them to get plenty of sleep and not to overindulge on holiday treats.
General Tips for Coping With Stress
Offer a list of ways that people can cope with stressful situations during the holidays. Remind them that it's okay to decline tasks or invitations every now and then if they feel too bogged down with other commitments. Encourage people to build in some personal time during the day, even if it's just for 15 minutes; this will allow a person time to regroup and catch his breath. List organizational strategies like a weekly calendar to help people plan ahead as much as possible; this should help ensure that holiday tasks stay manageable. And always remind people that it's okay to seek the help of a professional if they feel overly stressed.
Tags: items that, cope with, cope with stressful, grocery store, holiday situations