By Marian Meade
Congratulations to all of you who got engaged this year! I just heard that 15% of engagements occur in the month of December. What an exciting time- so much to celebrate!
Although the Christmas season is meant to be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ it’s also a time when we can get easily frazzled. Getting caught up in the chaos of the holiday rush (shopping, wrapping gifts, cooking, hosting) parties, high expectations, alcohol, and rich foods can result in high anxiety and short tempers- everything we don’t want.
The best way to make sure you have a wonderful Christmas and truly enjoy each other and your family and friends is to deliberately manage your energy and be conscious of how you are spending your time. Along with your fiancé, discuss how you want to feel over the holidays, then schedule in activities that will promote your goals:
o Identify the events that are most important to you and schedule them in. Be willing to decline invitations.
o Create pockets of down time for just the two of you to hang out and recharge your batteries
o Re-evaluate your to do list and remove items that aren’t essential
o Get fresh air and do a physical activity that you enjoy
o Be mindful of how much you are drinking and eating- have fun without regrets
o have compassion for each other and friends and family who may be pressuring themselves
o know that the most important gift you can give is positive, uplifting energy
o Take 5 minutes and think about what you are grateful for each day
o Decide to go with the flow when things don’t turn out exactly as expected
o Get some ‘me’ time- reading, writing in your journal, whatever works for you
Marian Meade is a relationship and emotional fitness coach/educator. She helps couples to stay in love for a lifetime, and singles prepare for the love of their life. Marian welcomes the LGBT community. For more information, check Marian out at www.marriagemindedcoaching.com.
