Staying Happy This Holiday

“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” ― Fred Rogers

Depending upon how you count, there are only twenty-five days left before Christmas is upon us. Yes, only twenty-five days left to find the perfect gift. Only twenty-five days left to plan the holiday meal. Only twenty-five days left to stress over all of it.

90% of people stress over something during the holidays

What exactly do we stress over then? According to a Consumer Reports survey, these are the top things we dread this time of year.

68% - Crowds and long lines
37% - Gaining weight
37% - Getting into debt
28% - Gift shopping
25% - Traveling
24% - Seeing certain relatives
23% - Seasonal music
19% - Disappointing gifts
16% - Having to attend holiday parties or events
15% - Having to be nice
12% - Holiday tipping

I actually find the "having to be nice" kind of amusing given the fact it should just come naturally. Sad to say, there are folks who simply find it hard to be nice. Beyond being nice, there are many things which induce stress in a lot of people.

How do we stay positive and enjoy the holiday?

To keep yourself happy and stress-free as possible, consider the following five ideas. Take a few moments before we really get into the deep end of the holiday rush and consider how you can have a happier holiday season.

1. Be realistic and avoid trying to be perfect - there are 365 days in a year and it is practically impossible to make one day perfect when we know the other 364 days are imperfect. There is beauty and fun in the imperfections of life. Embrace the idea that no one person and no one day is perfect. When you do this the pressure of being perfect yourself will be lifted and make you much happier.

2. Be healthy in your food, drink and exercise - a work Christmas party, a holiday get-together with friends and many other fun activities will fill your belly with great food, lighten your head at times from drinking alcohol and keep you less active in other parts of your daily routine. There will be less sleep, less exercise, less of the normal. Simply do all of this in moderation and your health will keep you happier.

3. Be grateful for what is going right - shopping for a gift that is out of stock, the dessert pie which didn't turn out quite right and so many other things that could wrong. What are we to do? We can be thankful for what we do have. If you think about it, there are a lot of good things going on in your life and I am sure you can find them. When you are grateful for what you have, life will be a lot happier to you.

4. Be mindful of being around positive things - maybe this one time of the year you avoid reading or responding to all of the negativity circulating on social media. Do not forget that bad news, bad comments and bad things sell. Good things are boring but search for the good news in life. Spread good news and avoid spreading the negative. When you generate a positive attitude, you will be happier about yourself.

5. Be the nice person you really are - being nice is inside all of us in varying degrees. Do you really need a parking spot up close? Let them have it, park further out and get a bit of exercise. Someone cut you off in traffic? Maybe they have a sick relative so show a little grace. All kinds of frustrations are not worth the impact they could have on your happiness. Spread a little niceness and happiness will come to you.

There you have it, staying happy this holiday season.

Sounds easy, should be easy but we all know it really is not. It takes works on our part and hey, do not sweat it if you cannot do all five things. Pick one, pick two but simply try. Being stress free and happy is not something for just this time of year.

Try to be happier for most of the year.

Stress consumes our happiness and being positive is not just a cliche. Being positive is a way of life, a happier life! And life should be that way, correct?

Stay inspired my friends!