Elaine Aron on holiday stress relief for sensitive people
Posted Dec 16 2009 6:38pm
The holidays are a time for giving, right? With a hectic schedule, family gatherings I might prefer to avoid, and an economy gone south, what I feel like doing is giving up
My cat has revved up his sleep schedule to 18 hours a day, and I was about to join him when Elaine Aron swept in with some great ways of taking care of myself:
“Here come the holidays and the New Year. Give yourself a gift by remembering to do this time of year your way: If you are already doing all you can, don’t expect anything extra of yourself without dropping something else, especially if the holidays are busy for you at work. Plan what you will enjoy, then cut it by half.
“Don’t buy into the idea that this time of year must be fancy or especially meaningful. It’s stressful enough during the holidays without trying to meet extra cultural expectations. If you can, connect with those who may need you a little more at this time of year–that’s meaning enough. But don’t promise more than you can deliver.”
My cat has revved up his sleep schedule to 18 hours a day, and I was about to join him when Elaine Aron swept in with some great ways of taking care of myself:
“Here come the holidays and the New Year. Give yourself a gift by remembering to do this time of year your way: If you are already doing all you can, don’t expect anything extra of yourself without dropping something else, especially if the holidays are busy for you at work. Plan what you will enjoy, then cut it by half.
“Don’t buy into the idea that this time of year must be fancy or especially meaningful. It’s stressful enough during the holidays without trying to meet extra cultural expectations. If you can, connect with those who may need you a little more at this time of year–that’s meaning enough. But don’t promise more than you can deliver.”
From her Comfort Zone newsletter
Dr. Elaine Aron is author of The Highly Sensitive Person.
You can hear an excerpt from the audiobook version on the Highly Sensitive site.
Related posts:
Sensitive and stressed? Jenna Forrest on calming holiday stress
Time to cut down on shopping in the physical world?
Related site:
Highly Sensitive
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Elaine Aron, sensitive and stressed, holiday stress, high sensitivity personality, stress relief resources