Busy, Holidays, Sanity, Relationships: My Tips to Help!
November22
We’re all busy people just struggling to keep our own minds together lately and then lo and behold: The holiday season arrives! UGH! How do you maintain the relationships you have and even nurture new ones? Plus, everyone’s broke as a joke and the immediate challenge of the holidays is heartbreaking. These have helped me and my own sanity lately:
- Tell someone you love them, out of the blue, unprompted and do not expect a response. Just do it!
- Smile & say, “It’s so good to see you!” and mean it, every time!
- Send someone a thank you note once a week. Even if it’s for something silly or seemingly unimportant. (Handmade is best.)
- Hug someone you would normally give a handshake to. Just throw yourself around them (not in a creepy way, please) with love.
- Offer a helping hand to a stranger or acquaintance. Especially if they haven’t asked.
- Host a holiday card making party! Tell your friends/family/neighbors to bring their own decorations, glues, glitter, etc and you’ll supply the card stock. Double points if you make it a potluck, too! Get one of those plastic party tablecloths to protect your table. (If you can’t afford this or your living arrangement makes this impossible, consider teaming up with someone else or make postcards instead. Tip: Buy cheap postcards at a drugstore or thrift shop and just redecorate the front.)
- Host an indoor picnic! Everyone brings something, very informal and you don’t need a better excuse to enjoy some cheap wine & cheese!
- Write a friend a letter. It doesn’t have to be long or well thought out, just grab some paper and tell them about your day or write a haiku or something. They will enjoy the arrival in their mailbox and cherish the thought that you were thinking of them.
- Email someone once a week to tell them you’re grateful to know them even if you’re not in touch as much as you’d like to be.
- Go to the web sites of all of your favorite places (restaurants, craft stores, anything!) and sign up for the email list! You’ll get crazy-good coupons and can always invite a friend when it’s BOGO time!
- Hate walking your dog alone at night in the cold? Buddy up with a neighbor or check out your local meet up group! You can take turns making cocoa or tea!
- Sign up for Google Voice so you can give one phone number out without having to give out any of your actual phone numbers! Saves time, safer and you can even have your voice mail messages transcribed and sent to your email! Sweet!
Do you have a sanity saving tip? Tell me all about it! <3
This is lovely and so in line with my thoughts lately on guerilla art and positivism.
Some friends of ours have invited us to come up for a more or less cooperative Thanksgiving. They’re providing the turkey and half the sides. I’m providing the other half of the sides and the desserts. What’s more, they’re sending me home with delicious bunny rabbit to cook up later when Mr. Twistie isn’t around to be revolted by it.
How sweet is that?
Sweet? That’s mad-rad! I love it! We’re doing a potluck thanksgiving as well. We lucked out, too because our BFFs (a couple) live in our building so we won’t even have to clean our apartment! Woot! Ha-ha! I love doing positive guerilla style things. A couple of years ago my husband and I did some guerilla gardening/greening on our street. What were once barren hunks of dirt in the middle of concrete were later crawling with color from lantana and succulents! More! =0)
We don’t have Thanksgiving in Australia, but it’s coming up to the Christmas season, and it’s the same thing here. That time of year that people either love or lose their lolly over.
Christmas has always been tough for me in the past. Being estranged from an abusive family, and being a single woman, I’ve often felt excluded from the celebrations. Until I realised that I create my own family. And I create my own experiences. I’m liberated from crappy family Christmasses. I can do whatever I damn well like!
Yes! I chose my “family” too! I refuse to put myself through the stress of family holiday nonsense. Honestly! UGH! I only wish more people would follow their own path instead of stupid, oppresive traditions. =0)