Halloween was Saturday. Tomorrow is election day. Thanksgiving is on the horizon.

All of which means whatever calm and order exists in our personal world will soon disappear into holiday preparations.

Don’t get me wrong. Holidays are my favorite time of year, except for Halloween, which is too spooky, and the 4th of July, which is too loud with all its fireworks.

As much as I look forward to the holidays, I dread the rush between Halloween and New Year’s Day.

The preparations.

The scheduling.

It can be so overwhelming.

Many years ago, I read an article by Mary E. Pritchard, a psychology professor at Boise State University.

Pritchard suggests the key to a stress-free holiday season lies in an acronym: ADAPT.

*Note: I’ve edited the wording, not the premise.

  • A — Acknowledge that things are going to be a bit crazier than usual this time of year. It’s okay. This too shall pass.
  • D — Don’t sweat the small stuff. Holidays are not about perfection. It really doesn’t matter if one of Rudolph’s ears is crooked in your son’s holiday pageant costume. Focus on getting it done and getting through to the New Year.
  • A — Accept that things will happen that will waylay your best-laid plans and intentions. You’ll likely find yourself relying on Plan B, C, or D this holiday season. That’s okay. (See D above.)
  • P — Pretend you have it all together. As my colleague says, “Fake it ’til you make it.” There’s something behind that. If you pretend to have it all together, you likely will. It’s a fact that smiling can make you happier.
  • T — Troubleshoot. Because things aren’t going to go as planned (see Accept above), make sure that you have a Plan B or C or D to fall back on. That way, you can gracefully slide into Plan B and pretend that’s how you intended things to work anyway.

Most importantly, make sure you take some time for you this holiday season. Find 10 minutes a day to meditate, go for walks a few times a week, watch a funny movie, whatever it takes.

Carving out you-time will help make the busy holidays a little more bearable. It works for me!