I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog series so far and have taken the opportunity to try out some of the ideas I’ve offered so far. Here are my final two suggestions to round out the top 5 ways to get ready for fall.
4. Face food facts. How does your relationship with food change with the seasons? If you are comfortable with your eating, than I challenge you to simply consider whether there is any place you could reduce some food prep stress. Think about creating systems, simplifying, or delegating. If food is an issue for you—if you tend to eat more during the colder seasons or move less or feel overloaded by holiday treats from October to January, then now is the time to be proactive.
Ask yourself how you want things to be different this year. Make sure that you don’t create a list of “don’ts” (as in “I won’t eat sugar and I won’t eat in the evening and I won’t…”). What you are looking for is a list of insteads or substitutions—as in “instead of____ I will ____.” Instead of snacking in the evening, I will work on a crossword puzzle, instead of snacking in the break room I will go outside, instead of…You get the idea. The point is that now is the time to identify any instead strategies that you need. If you come up with more problem areas than you have solutions for, now is also the time to enlist some help.
5. Avoid the holidaze. The holiday season seems to be extended every year. Your challenge is to enjoy the occasions and the traditions without feeling overloaded and dazed by holiday stress or expectations. One of the most powerful things you can do for yourself now is to be proactive. What DO you want to experience during your personal holiday season? What do you want to avoid? What stressful situations should you plan for or develop a strategy to cope with? Where could you use some extra support?
Perhaps the most important question of all in a season that can be jam-packed—what do you want to say no to or let go of? If it’s a group event that stresses you out, chances are you aren’t alone. Do you want to let it go (skip it) or create a more enjoyable alternative? Now might be the time when these conversations are the easiest. Don’t forget to identify your “must-do” items—the things you really care about—and make sure they go into your schedule before everything else.
One of the most powerful ingredients for success (and for thriving) is having a foundation in place that supports you in what you are trying to do. The five tips above are all ways to do just that over the next few months. I challenge you to try them out and see how they work for you.
Interested in how you can have more direction, support, accountability and success throughout the holidays? I’ll be sharing information about my Thriving the Holidays program in the weeks ahead.
Take good care,
