Psychic Blog

The chances are if you have young children in your family, in the last few years you will have sung along to the Disney song from the famous film ‘Frozen’ called ‘Let It Go’.

I bring it up, because it is a fantastic ‘mantra’ for the holiday season. To quote another song, ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’, but of course in reality for many of us things are far from jolly and bright: dealing with work deadlines, Christmas parties, packed shopping centres, feuding relatives and more…

So, just how do you achieve a hassle free Christmas and New Year?

Don’t think everything will be perfect – it won’t be, and nor does it need to be! Have realistic expectations…If you are not a great cook, then don’t imagine Christmas day dinner for 12 is going to be the day you will turn things around! If you have a busy period at work, don’t make commitments every night that will wear you out before the season has really got going…

Don’t forget to factor yourself in when making plans. It is easy to make arrangements with everyone else in mind, but at the end of the day you will feel resentful that you have not spent your valuable time off doing anything that you want. Pick days where you please other people – by going where they want or doing what they want, but schedule time in for you and your family where no one else will be setting the agenda.

Pick your battles! Spending a day with relatives – is not always easy, especially with blended families and spending time with people you do not see on a regular basis. But today is not a day to address what wrongs your parents did when you were growing up, or to raise sibling rivalries. Or to argue with the dodgy relative who insists on asking inappropriate questions…If you genuinely have issues that have to be resolved pick a more neutral private time to deal with them. For everything else – count to ten – keep calm, and carry on!

Ask for help – very often, women in particular will take on more than their fair share of work. Cleaning the house from top to bottom, buying and writing the cards, shopping and cooking, buying and wrapping all of the presents, dressing the tree & house, making the social arrangements, all the time whilst likely dieting to fit into that new little black dress… Stop – ask for help and accept help. Just like at work – it is okay to delegate, the chances are each person has favourite things they like to do anyway.

Lastly, remember – that trying to change someone else is generally fruitless, but you can change how you react to a person or situation. In others words – ‘Let It Go’…