When my sons were in Boy Scouts, their troop had a practice to
evaluate and improve how their campouts would run. They would
gather and hold a “Stop, Start, Continue” discussion. Here are the questions they’d discuss:
Continue – What did
you like? What do you want to keep doing?
Stop – What didn’t
work so well? What should we stop doing?
Start – What are some
ideas to improve the way this runs and how much fun we have?
This approach can be applied throughout the year,
but can be especially helpful during the busy holidays. Want to ensure you have a calm
Christmas?
The simplest way to create calm is to:
STOP...multi tasking
Multi tasking IS NOT the way to create calm. Studies
continue to show that multi-tasking drains energy and causes more stress than doing
one or two simple things at a time.
Perhaps you are trying to put dinner on the table and read with
your 1st grader...this is less than enjoyable for all. Set a timer and tell the
little one you will read together...with nothing else going on for 20 minutes.
Then you will focus on making dinner for 20 minutes. This is also known as
setting boundaries. Help everyone in your family be calm by respecting
boundaries and stopping the multi-tasking myth.
STOP the multi-tasking. All
of these things are not equally urgent - do what is important and let things go
until later—or ask for some help.
START with the end in mind:
What do you want “Bake Christmas cookies” to really look and feel like?
Are you going for “Martha Stewart cookies” or would three-dozen cookies the
same shape with three different colors of sugar sprinkled on the top be okay? If you need a showstopper, have you allotted
enough time and other resources to complete the task?
CONTINUE to lavish love, create memories, and remember to
BREATHE!
You may even consider creating a quiet night: Create one by turning off the electronics and reading a story together, like the story of
Jesus’s birth or the classic story ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’.
Using soft jingle bells taps into the season and allows little
ones (and big ones) to learn how to control sounds. For tweens and teens: ask
them to commit to a silent night. No electronics - focus on playing a game,
doing a puzzle, reading silently in a room together. If your home can
accommodate it, create a fire in the fireplace and encourage all to sit and
listen to the snap crackle and pop.
Thinking through your holiday celebrations using the “Stop,
Start, Continue” approach, what changes might you want to make in your family’s
lives? What might your family members
suggest?
Christmas and other holiday celebrations don’t have to be chaotic
and overwhelming. Follow the “Stop, Start, Continue” approach this holiday season
and help your family Christmas to be calm.
Posts
