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Nourishing Relationships

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       How the Gift of Connection Can Help Baby Boomers Reduce Holiday Stress

In your holiday daydreams, do you envision universal goals like sustaining our 
planet's resources and gaining energy independence - or less stress? For many 
Baby Boomers, this time of year tends to be exhausting rather than inspiring.

Stress is the body's response to any stimulus, either external or internal, 
that is perceived as taxing personal resources. Is gift giving your source 
of stress, as you look for the perfect necktie or worry that a better 
blackberry will be released next week? Does food become your comfort and 
challenge while you're eating the cookie dough instead of baking it? Will 
you be focusing on the buffet table rather than chatting at the annual office party?  
You may be creating more stress by sticking to the old routine and operating 
on automatic pilot.

Watch out for stress symptoms. They can appear at any time, in many and 
various forms. For example, they can be:

	
Physiological - headaches, stomach upset
	
Emotional - feeling irritated, overwhelmed
	
Behavioral - overeating, physical withdrawal
	
Cognitive - trouble concentrating, memory loss

Of course you don't want to feel anxious and agitated, especially during this season. 
We know your goal is to keep your life in balance and still honor the complexity 
of Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa. Figure out what about the holidays is most important
to you. Think about what you want to do not what you have to do. 

Begin to lay the groundwork for gradual change in your gift giving rituals.  
Use the following eight practical tips to help you keep your stress in check, 
as you focus on more joy and less stuff:

1.  Give the gift of reconnection. Send a card and catch up with an old friend 
or a family member with whom you've lost contact.

2.  Invest time instead of money. Take your elderly neighbor to her doctor's 
appointment or grocery shopping.  

3.  Give the gift of yourself. Arrange a regular lunch or museum date with your 
parents or take them to the movies.

4.  Enjoy your friends by inviting them to a potluck dinner and cut down further 
on expenses by limiting your gift exchange.

5.  Add a personal touch and express yourself creatively by making some of your 
own presents.

6.  Put the focus on others - volunteer at a soup kitchen, take gifts to a 
homeless shelter, or donate to a center for battered women.

7. Give a gift to yourself. Go away with your spouse for the weekend or take 
your grandchildren to the zoo. 

8.  Enjoy peace of mind by paying off your debts instead of taking the family 
on an expensive outing. Look through the eyes of your children and decide
together how to spend the day. Your family will understand and grow from 
the experience.

Let go of the idea of the perfect holiday. It may not look like a Norman 
Rockwell painting, but these small changes can represent the beginning 
of a new chapter in your life. Take heart as you embrace and celebrate the moment. 
Use it as a template for the future. And joy to you and yours as you 
journey toward greater connections.

© Her Mentor Center, 2006

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(c) HerMentorCenter, 2006.  All rights reserved.  The above
material may not be copied to another web site without the
express permission of HerMentorCenter.com.   
  
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