As we start to roll right into the holidays - I need you to remember that while you are busy shopping and planning, making sure your kids have enough activities to do, and you are getting all your cooking done, you still take time for yourself.

By finding time to yourself that doesn’t involve anything to do with holiday planning or shopping, you are also able to relieve some of that holiday stress that is overwhelming you. Here are some simple ways to reduce your holiday stress.

Schedule Time Every Day to Do Something On Your Own

Taking time for yourself doesn’t mean you need an entire day or weekend just to yourself where you don’t see anyone. I get thats pretty much impossible!  All you really need to do is have a little bit of time each day where you can push the holiday craziness aside. This can be as simple as taking a bubble bath each evening, having a glass of wine on your patio when the kids are asleep, or enjoying a nice walk by a nearby pond or lake on your lunch break from work. These moments are precious, but they won’t come automatically. Sometimes you need to include them in your schedule.

Find Non-Holiday Things You Can Do

Another way to take more time for yourself is to find things you can do that have nothing to do with the holidays. This can be hard when you feel like every errand you run has to do with party planning, Christmas shopping, or food shopping for the upcoming festivities. However, see if there is an event or activity you can attend on your own that isn’t holiday-related, or spend an evening with a girlfriend at happy hour (or virtual happy hour) and promise not to talk about the holidays even once.

Get Help With Some of Your Tasks

In some cases, there is just too much to do during this time of year to find time for yourself. This is when you need to create it by delegating some of your tasks. If the reason you don’t have time is because you are planning the holiday dinner all on your own, then you need to start getting some help. Have some other people to help get your home ready, buy decorations, go shopping for the food, or bring a few dishes so you aren’t cooking everything yourself.

Ask Someone to Watch Your Kids For the Night

If you have kids at home that are too young to be home alone, then getting a sitter so you can go out and do something by yourself is sometimes needed. Even if it is strolling the isles of Target!  Whether this is going to get a manicure or massage on your own, or spending a kid-free night with your significant other, it is important to have this quality time.

PROMISE ME YOU WILL MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF.  Your sanity depends on it!