GET OUT AHEAD OF IT

It's that time again!!

I can hardly believe that we are already finishing up the year and vastly approaching the holidays.

With that comes the hustle and bustle of shopping, the traveling to and fro, the charity bells ringing and not to mention the countless opportunities to get offended.

I probably could have just said the last sentence and we all would have clearly understood what this time of the year means haha.

I'm really unsure if I have told you that each year for Thanksgiving I thoroughly enjoy cooking for a lot of guests.

I enjoy it so much that each year, usually around September or early October, I start having what I call "stress dreams."

In these dreams, various catastrophes happen that cause my carefully planned dinner to be shattered.

For example, one time I forgot to thaw the turkey. Another time, I didn't start the turkey until an hour before the guests arrived.

I could literally write a full blog describing the many things that happen in these dreams.

In my excitement for the Thanksgiving holiday, my mind starts to stress months before the actually date.

Something strange happened this year. I had my first "stress dream" in August.

I was shocked when I woke up the next day. I said to myself "these dreams are starting to come earlier and earlier it seems!"

Years ago when I worked full time in an office, every single morning I would get so frustrated and upset trying to find something to wear.

This went on for months on end.

Even at my worst, I have always been a punctual person. But despite making it to work on time, the lack of planning caused me to run around frantic and sweating.

Until one day I had this "light bulb" moment. Every Sunday I was going to lay my clothes out for the week ahead.

So I began spending several hours organizing Monday through Friday's outfits, shoes, accessories, etc and laying them in order.

The burden was lifted and I remember feeling ease and freedom as I got ready each morning.

It was quite different than it had been and I just wondered why it took me so long to implement this.

If grocery shopping during the holidays or busy hours upsets you, like it does for a lot of my friends and family, then rearrange the time you go. Or maybe even try online ordering this year.

If you are running late every day for work, try implementing strategies beforehand that will help you stay on time.

If you plan to stick with a diet but you are forced to eat fast food due to lack of meal prep, try to think ahead and plan meals with better choices if you have to eat out. Or set a couple of hours to the side to prep several meals in advance.

Going back to my Thanksgiving stress dreams, even with the fear and anxiety of something tragic happening, each year my dinners turn out amazing. Thankfully so!!

Last year, however, I did have a couple of minor incidents that left me feeling upset. In fact, I had to walk away several times in order to calm myself.

So this year I have reverted back to my "get out ahead of it" plan that I utilized for my morning organization preparations.

I know that several things are going to happen on this day. And it will be the same exact scenarios that disturbed my peace last year.

So it's almost like I have a crystal ball looking into the future. But this time, I know how to handle myself.

This time, I am prepared.

I am going to brace myself for the inevitable and I will move through day with grace and tact.

This truly is the most wonderful time of the year and every one of us have something to be thankful for.

YOU ARE DESIGNED TO REIGN IN LIFE

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