Staying sane during the insanity
We all know the feeling; you had twelve months to look for the perfect gift, find the perfect holiday breakaway, but now I’m trying to squeeze everything last minute. As if the world is going to end if I don’t finish the to do list of stuff by the 25th of December. It borders on craziness and insanity. The roads are filled with impatient people ready to say goodbye to office and halo to the beach. Frustration and irritation builds between couples as the kids start their holidays early. It’s just that time of year where the wheels come off. So I thought everyone will benefit from my by now, well refined, tried and tested coping techniques;
1) Do Wine Yoga…!
Find a spot in your house, poor a glass of wine and do some wine yoga. Also give some to the dog if he/she interferes. Rather not inebriate the children. This time of year you will be regarded as an amazing parent if you stay sane. So switch on the TV, let them watch the hundred thousand’s episode of Blaze or Paw Patrol or Bubble Guppies (you know, those episodes you’ve seen a thousand times and know the words off by heart…?) and do your wine yoga.
One sure benefit is that you will get more flexible with each sip. Take a look at excellent poses while not wasting a drop below;
2) Online shopping is your new best friend
STAY AWAY from the shops and malls and places that will have you in the looney bin in no time. The queues alone are insufferable. Then, finally you are at the till and they don’t take cash…WT efffff? How can you not take cash? Or they’re offline or the voucher system is not working. Just thinking about it I get my knickers in a twist.
Did you know that DisChem and Woolworths and Pick’nPay now have online shopping. You will have all your goodies delivered at your door in no time. Not to mention things like Takealot, Loot or BidorBuy. Finding that gift for your sister-in-law’s fiancé’s mother is a breeze. And ‘no deodorant’ is no reason to go into Checkers.
You can even order all your party catering with either Pick’n Pay or Checkers. And for those lazy nights in, checkout UberEats and Mr D.
So get yourself a glass of wine and get shopping on -the – line.
3) Organise playdates with mommies who drink wine
And better organise them for the afternoon; you don’t want to be dubbed the ‘dronk mamma’ of the group….Thís way you whack 3 flies in one shot;
(1) Your kids have friends to play with and is not driving you bonkers
(2) You will have some grownup conversation.. and wine..AND…
(3) you’ll be saving your friend’s sanity as well. Saving the world one mommy with one playdate at a time. You know what they say; Charity begins at home.
All this while you don’t have to worry about your groceries because Pick’n Pay will deliver later today. Dinner is sorted and you’ve scheduled a delivery. So all you have to do is sit back, make sure your toddler doesn’t kill the baby and have a fat chat with your buddy.
4) Do NOT waste your time on social media – and cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
If you want to drink more wine to suppress the depression from watching other peoples’ “fabulous lives” on Facebook… go ahead. Open the app. Just remember that people always put the cool stuff on there. Everything that makes us look good and feel good about ourselves, thát goes onto Facebook. Because it’s a sure way to validate whatever you’re doing.When we get enough likes on Instagram for the ‘perfect picture’ or the compliments on the new profile picture then the world just validated our existence. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t help to compare myself to other ‘perfect lives’ and find what’s missing in mine. Instead of realising my own blessings and as corny and cheesy as it sounds, having gratitude for what I have. On top of this, what I can give. After all, isn’t this the season for giving; giving myself the recognition I so desperately seek from other terrestrial earth dwellers. And the chocolate I really want… and maybe the time off to go to Cinema Prestige (because they serve wine in there – and at the same time you can be grateful for not having to share you Whispers with your toddler (and having to find them half eaten stashed in your couch))
oh… and I almost forgot….:
5) Breath – and count to 10.. or 20… or a 100.
Do not underestimate the power of your breath. It’s probably the simplest most accessible calming tool you will ever posses. When we breath with awareness we create Prana. When we have Prana there is space in the body. When there is space in the body one can have perspective. When you have perspective, you can find the bottle of wine easier.
There you have it. Apply these 5 coping techniques and you will survive the Silly Season sanity in tact.
May you all have a blessed festive season and a very happy new yeahhh!!
Namasté