Ditch the Year End Stress In Just One Simple Step

Kathleen McDowell Money Coach, Advisor & Investor, Founder of Live Richly

When listening to holiday music I often wonder is it really “The most wonderful time of the year”?

For most people, it’s not. Over 40% of people say its actually the most stressful time of the entire year. and 8 in 10 Americans say stress definitely increases over the holidays.

Biggest causes of Stress?

Financial stress of either not having enough money or overspending
Unrealistic expectations. Expectations on spending enough time with family and friends, buying the right gifts, upholding family traditions….etc etc

A number of research studies have revealed that the overwhelming majority of people are feeling stressed heading to the end of the year, and that roughly half of them say the top stressor impacting their mental health and stress levels is financial pressure.

And yet, despite this added stress, many people don’t try to address the underlying causes. Instead, what I often see at this time of year is an attitude of “we’ll be right”, just let it roll another few weeks.

And we make promises that we’ll take care of ourselves, our finances, our fitness, and everything else that’s out of balance – AFTER the holidays.

In other words, no ones counting calories when the Christmas cookies are passed around.

So, how do we break this habit and actually take action to make this Christmas less stressful and more enjoyable?

Reduce Your Holiday Stress With This One Simple Step

Take this quick quiz:

What did you get for Christmas last year?

Go on, stop reading now, and spend 10 seconds thinking about it. You’ll be lucky if you can remember one thing.

Fun fact: I did this with my daughter and her friends, many of whom each had Christmas lists longer than this article and most of them couldn’t remember more than a handful of things.

Chances are you or your kids won’t remember the gifts you received – but you likely will remember the feel of the house, and whether it was cheerful or stressful.

Hopefully knowing that its the vibe we remember, not the gifts, will allow you to focus less on spending money and more on spending time relaxing.

How to Expect Less and Get More This Holiday

Life is for living, so spend lavishly only on the things that will increase the holiday vibe, whether its nice food and drink, or tickets to see A Christmas Carol. These things will give you a bigger dopamine hit than whatever the latest gadgets are on Amazon’s must have Christmas wish list.
Focus on self-care NOW, don’t wait until the New Year!
Don’t waste money on expensive presents for adults. They don’t want or need another scented candle or photo coffee mug.

Holiday Gifts That Last for Years

Instead, I’d suggest buying people (or yourself) books. They’re cheap (under $20), don’t even need a card (just list as a gift on Amazon and type your message). If you buy it in person (do people still do that?), you can write a note on the first page. The other things I love about books is that they are great for re-gifting. We have a half price books in our town where we drop off the ones we’re done with, and pick up news ones at a fraction of the price.

Here are my top books to set you or your loved ones up for a fabulous holiday and New Year

Fill your Santa sack up with these gems, guaranteed to improve your knowledge and outlook. These books will give you a fresh perspective on how to manage your finances to Live Richly. Each one will surprise you with a new way of looking at your life and your finances and change how you think, feel and act about your money.

Here are 7 of the best personal finance books available today that will change your thinking (and your life).

“Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez.
“Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life” by John Bogle
“Die With Zero” by Bill Perkins
“Financial Freedom” by Grant Sabatier.
“The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko.
“The Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel.
Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

BOOK	SURPRISE!
Your Money Or Your Life	There is nothing in your life that is more valuable than your time. If you’re not accounting for your time spent working, you’re “working for a dying”, rather than working for a living.
Enough	Once you learn to identify what “enough” truly is, you’re close to having it than you think.
Die With Zero	If you die without spending all that money, you’ve wasted precious hours of your life. Arrange your finances so you die with zero. Live your life to the fullest now, don’t wait until you retire.
Financial Freedom	You need less money to “retire” at age 30 than you do at age 65.
The Millionaire Next Door	The majority of millionaires do not stand out. They live in modest homes in average neighborhoods, run blue-collar businesses, and do not spend money on flashy cars, watches, or jewelry. In fact, most of their neighbors have no idea they are millionaires.
The Psychology of Money	Doing well with money isn’t necessarily about what you know. It’s about how you behave.
Poor Charlie’s Almanack	“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time — none, zero.’