5 Ways to Get Zen -- Fast!

By Nancy Kalish

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When you think of the holidays, what’s the first word that comes to mind? If it’s “stress,” welcome to the club. It’s a rare woman who doesn’t feel over-rushed, overworked and overwhelmed at this time of year. “The real problem is that taking care of ourselves never makes it onto our lists -- and it’s hard to feel joyful when you’re totally burned out,” says Mary Rosendale, a Los Angeles life coach and founder of The Constructed Life, a consulting service that teaches people to apply Eastern principles to busy Western lives. Here are five surprising ways to de-stress and find a little Zen when you need it most.

1. Give yourself the gift of time.
When buying presents, don’t forget yourself. Rosendale suggests taking a break and giving yourself a quick treat -- something speedy but special -- every single day during holiday season. “It could be a latte from your favorite coffee bar, a salon pedicure or 30 minutes in the bathtub with a romance novel, as long as it allows you to retreat from the craziness and relax.” Even a short break can be amazingly refreshing, both mentally and physically. Need help coming up with ideas? Ask a pal or your partner to write suggestions on slips of paper and put them in an envelope. Then each day pull one out for a feel-good surprise.

2. Add in extra minutes.
It’s inevitable: Everything takes longer than you thought it would, especially during the holiday season. So don’t doom yourself to constant rushing and lateness. Instead, estimate the time you think a task will take, then add on 25 to 50 percent more time, and schedule the tasks that follow accordingly. The result is that you’ll be able to control time instead of it controlling you. If this buys you some time to spare, avoid the temptation to fill it with more to-dos. Instead, play a game on your phone, park and watch the sunset or take a stroll on the sidewalk and window shop.  

3. Drop everything.
Feeling frazzled? One of the quickest ways to become centered and calm is to do an exercise that Rosendale calls “dropping out,” which she adapted from the Buddhist tradition of Thicht Naht Hanh. “At certain Buddhist retreats, they ring a bell at irregular intervals throughout the day, which is a signal to stop whatever they’re doing and take three gentle breaths,” she explains. “This settles their mind, and then they go on with the rest of their day.” You can pick your own trigger and do the same thing. For example, every time you’re waiting for the light to change, turn off the radio and take your breaths. Or put away your cell phone and focus on your breathing while you’re waiting in line for a cashier. “It brings on an immediate feeling of peace,” emphasizes Rosendale.

4. Stop multitasking.
Doing several things at once sounds like a good idea, but it can be a disaster during holiday preparations and can prevent you from enjoying the task at hand. If you’re baking cookies, concentrate on that and delight in the act of stirring the batter, smelling the spices and rolling out the dough. Don’t ruin it by calling your mother-in-law at the same time to discuss who’s bringing what dish to Christmas dinner. It will take away from your baking experience, and you might even forget to add the sugar. 

5. Commit to a cutoff point.
Most of us go through the holidays feeling like we’re never going to get everything done, which is stressful and overwhelming. Rosendale suggests counteracting this by giving yourself a cutoff point, such as 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. “You need to accept that you’ve done all you can, and that it’s more than enough,” she says. “Whatever isn’t done at this point is going to stay undone -- and probably no one will notice. So give yourself permission to stop everything else and start enjoying the holidays.” 

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