Holiday Stress Tips for the
Sandwich Generation
- Unplan Your Holiday

Holiday stress tips are essential for people in the sandwich generation. You've got a lot on your plate, but coping with holiday stress can be achieved. "Un-planning" is the key for a stress free holiday.



You are...

      *a parent

      *responsible for children

      *caring for aging parents



Then you have...

     *workplace responsibilities

     *sports activities and lessons for the kids

     *doctors appointments

     *school functions, plays,and holiday concerts

     *the holiday office parties - required and optional

     *possible other community or civic duties

     *in-laws or out of town relatives that you need to visit or touch base with...


Holiday Stress Management


So how do you make all this craziness manageable and not want to tempt you to leap off a cliff?

How about "unplanning?"

1. Get the list of all the kids holiday concerts and plays

2. Get the calendar for all office functions -- required and optional

3. Typical party invitations

4. Relatives that you need to touch base with or visit


Now keep going...

  •      *the Christmas Card list
  •      *the gift lifts (family, extended family,workplace parties)
  •      *the holiday invitations


    • the list of open houses where acquaintances "expect" you to drop by


    NOW really challenge yourself...


    SLASH THE LIST BY 40%

    Eliminate... cross out... drop... postpone... take a raincheck... alternate for the next holiday or next year...put it on somebody else's list to handle...


    In other words -- cut yourself some slack.

    If you're like many people in the sandwich generation, you set yourself up with over the top expectations. You want to do it all and do it perfectly. You want the perfect table, perfect decorations, perfect family, perfect meal. Like the old commercial said, "Never let them see you sweat." A great recipe for you to end up exhausted, burned out, or worse. Instead, use these holiday stress tips to be ruthlessly realistic.


    Your life is not airbrushed.

    It's like aspiring to look identical to the model on the magazine cover. Except that they all have make-up artists, hair dressers, clothing stylists, professional photographers... and the picture is still airbrushed at the end.

    Sure, there are some things that you DO have to do, but not nearly as many as you imagine.

    Let this holiday be real. A real family with real challenges, taking time out to be grateful for each other and the things that they have survived together.

    Why not try "unplanning" so that you actually get to experience and enjoy some holiday time this year?


    Holidays with Elderly Parents


     Sandwich Generation


     Holiday stress tips to Aging Parents Home Page

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