Do Less, Enjoy More During the Holidays

Like most of the women I know, I face the holiday season with a mixture of anticipation and dread. I know holiday traditions that I share with my family, friends and co-workers add joy to my life. But the pressures and hassles of shopping, decorating, entertaining and cooking for the holidays create more than a small amount of stress.

I recently attended a conference on women's health that made me rethink my approach to the holidays and to my life in general. One speaker really impressed me when she talked about the relationship between stress and health. She pointed out that we make more decisions in one day than our ancestors typically made in a year.

While our labor-saving devices make our lives look easy on the surface, the stress we experience on the inside is literally killing us.

Research tells us that chronic, prolonged stress damages tissue, devastates our immune system and saps our energy and ability to heal. Did you know that more people die on Monday mornings than at any other time of the week? It's not even the work, but the anticipation of it that stresses us. Simply put, our feelings and thoughts about our busy lives are making us sick.

As I was running errands this weekend with multiple shopping lists and cell phone in hand, I remembered her message: "Simplify your life."

Your first response to this message is probably the same as mine: "I can't." We all believe we have too many responsibilities and commitments and too few choices. Everything seems essential. But think for a minute. Look at your life with fresh eyes.

Pretend you just spent the past few months in a Third World country. What do you really need? Do you really need a new outfit for this year's office holiday party? Will anyone notice or think less of you if you wear last year's? Will your life be of less value if you don't find the perfect wreath for the front door? Will your holiday be just as festive with store-bought cookies or do they have to be made from scratch?

Look at each item on your to-do list and ask yourself: "In five years will it matter that I did this? Will it add meaning and value to my life and the lives of those around me?" You may be surprised at how many things you can cross off your list.

My holiday wish for you is that at this hectic and stressful time of year, you give yourself the gift of simplicity. Take a little time to simplify your life - do less and enjoy more. Have a simply happy and healthy holiday.

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/12_01_00/page_11.html