Holiday Madness

If you're a parent, grandparent, business owner, child, or all four, it's high season for high stress!

Example: 3 holiday events and a wedding during the weekend, preparing client and colleague gift baskets until 1:30 in the morning during a work night, delivering the gifts in LA's Westside and beyond the next day, preparing a Haute Living Magazine profile...and then there's work.

It's definitely an overwhelming time of year when we're called to give, give, give. Give to our families, to our employees, to our clients, to our colleagues, and to our community.

Through the frenzied pace, I have to remind myself to take a moment to relax during the season of giving. We don't have lots of time to do this, but if we neglect taking care of ourselves, we'll surely pay the price.

Dr. Puff, a Newport Beach therapist, whose show I appeared on said it best, "If you don't take time to be healthy, you're taking time to be sick."

I couldn't agree more. The consequences of burn out are catching the flu, being short tempered with those around us, and feeling the holiday blues.

For me, it's as simple as looking at a beautiful flower arrangement that sits on my desk while sipping a cappuccino, or taking a quick walk outside my office. It doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate, but it does have to be intentional.

Taking time to relax is not about multi-tasking (I'm the queen of multi-tasking, so I understand how hard it is to get away from this): You're not sipping a cappuccino while taking a business call, planning a holiday party, or working through a complicated escrow. That doesn't count. Instead it's taking a moment to appreciate what surrounds you at the present moment. Look hard enough, and you'll be sure to experience a moment of peace.

Here's to a wonderful holiday!

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