Plan to Manage Holiday Stress

[Guest guest]

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in

print as long as the article content is not altered and the resource

box is included. Notification of use is appreciated. Total word

count including resource box: 518

Plan to Manage Holiday Stress

By ADD Coach Koretsky

Everyone finds themselves stressed out during the holiday season.

But for adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), November

through January can feel like a whirlwind of tasks and

responsibilities. Lack of time management will result in undue

pressure and overwhelm for the ADD adult.

One way to take the stress out of the holidays is to plan for them.

These simple steps can help the ADD adult manage their time and tasks

during the holiday season, thereby relieving unnecessary stress.

Create one hour this week to plan your holiday preparation schedule,

and follow these steps:

Step 1 - Make a List of all the Things You Need to Do to Prepare for

the Holiday

This probably includes gift shopping, writing and mailing holiday

cards, decorating your home, planning your travel, etc. After you

have made this list, put a star next to each of the items that you

don't like to do. (Maybe you get bored writing out the holiday

cards, or maybe you detest shopping.)

Step 2 - Use a Calendar or Planner

Use something that gives you ample space to write for each day. This

could be a wall calendar, a daily planner, or planning software.

Begin by writing in all your holiday appointments, such as parties

and scheduled shopping trips. Next, write in all the other

activities that you have going on during the month, like meetings and

appointments. When you're done, you should have a good idea of where

your free time is.

Now, take a look at the items on your holiday to-do list that are not

marked with a star, and schedule them in. Do you have a free evening

next week in which you can write out your cards? Schedule it on your

calendar! Do you have a free Saturday to get your shopping done?

Schedule it on your calendar!

Step 3 - Make the Dreaded Tasks Easier

Take a look at all those tasks you marked with a star. These are the

tasks that you hate to do for one reason or another. Take a moment

to look at each one, and figure out how to make that task a little

easier or more bearable. If you hate writing cards because it's a

tedious and boring task, you can make it easier on yourself by

inviting a friend over to chat, catch up, and write out cards with

you. Hate decorating? Perhaps you can buy a new CD you've been

wanting and allow yourself to crank it up while you put up the

holiday decorations.

Investing just a small amount of time in planning can save you from

undue stress and overwhelm during this holiday season.