Welcome December!

Does the holiday season stress you out? It does me! It’s bad enough to have all those special book events on my platter – book sales, holiday stories to write for my newsletter followers, bookish gifts to distribute, and holiday promo graphics to post. But I always have so many unfinished writing projects hanging over me too, like the novel I didn’t finish yet, the writer’s calendar I planned to make, and the book reviews I haven’t written.

It’s enough to make me crawl under the covers and not come out until next year. UGH!

STRESS RELIEVERS THAT WORK

But wait! Here are some stress relieving ideas that I’ve found helpful. Maybe you will too?

STEP 1: Figure out what must be done in the next thirty days.

1. Don’t start anything new.
2. Say no to new commitments.
3. Make a list of the MUSTS you really truly must do by the end of December.
4. Cross out any days on your calendar that you can’t work on the MUSTS..
5. Schedule the MUSTS on the days left then ask: Is accomplishing them all realistic?
6. Move anything you can’t possibly do to your January to-do list or to a wish list or simply- delete. Be harsh. At the end of the month you will be thankful you were.

TIP: Try a Kaban Board

STEP 2 Simplify your day.

1. Turn off notifications.
2. Silence your phone during writing time..
3. Check email no more than once a day.
4. Go off social media. Tell everyone you are on holiday. You deserve it.
5. Plan to accomplish half of what you normally do on a day.
6. Focus on only one MUST on the list at a time.
7. Organize your writing space daily.
8. Be flexible. Move MUSTS around if needed.
9. Relax your standards when you can. (For example instead of a 10,000 word short story. I’m writing a 2 page flash fiction story.)

Ways to Remove Distractions

STEP 3: Take Care of Yourself

1. Schedule “me” time.
2. Drink plenty of water.
3. Get extra sleep.
4. Do yoga or meditation exercises.
5. Repeat daily affirmations like “I am making progress”
6. Cross off completed tasks or make an I-did-it list.
7. Reward yourself when you finish a MUST.

Some Stress Relief Ideas

STEP 4: Encourage and reward yourself with writing tasks that you love.

1. Write a brief journal entry exploring your feelings of stress or success.
2. Spend time every day on a writing task you love.
3. Do something for other writers.
4. Create something beautiful for the season that makes you feel good.
5. Always look for positives and ignore the negatives as much as possible.

Try a Magic Bowl

Step 5: Accept that you are human

Didn’t finish everything? It’s okay, a new year . . . AND a fresh start is coming!

---

What do you do the relieve seasonal stress? Post your ideas below.