How do we survive the festive season without getting stressed out? - a question to ChatGPT

Karen December 2022

A simple question, and I am sure the Internet is the virtual sphere full of advice. 

Open AI ChatGPT gave me the perfect answer, and I am copying here. Try a few questions yourself. It's fun, and surprisingly very accurate! 

How do we survive the festive season without getting stressed out?

The festive season can be a stressful time for many people, especially with the added pressure of gift-giving, social obligations, and financial concerns. Here are a few tips that may help you navigate the season with less stress:

1. Set realistic expectations: It's important to remember that the holidays don't have to be perfect. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to create the "perfect" holiday experience.
2. Plan ahead: Make a schedule or to-do list and try to stay organized. This can help you stay on top of tasks and reduce stress.
3. Take breaks: Make sure to take breaks and make time for self-care. This can include activities like exercise, meditation, or simply taking a few minutes to relax and unwind.
4. Be mindful of your budget: It's easy to overspend during the holidays, which can lead to financial stress. Make a budget and try to stick to it.
5. Don't overcommit: It's okay to say no to social invitations if you are feeling overwhelmed. It's important to prioritize your own well-being.
6. Seek support: If you are feeling overwhelmed, don't hesitate to reach out to friends, family, or a mental health professional for support.

Consciously connecting with nature - With Sunlight inspiration

#InspiredByNature

As a working person it is difficult to find time to spend in nature. We leave the house very early, spend at least two and a half hours in traffic each day, and sit in a cubicle without a glimmer of sunlight. We are disconnected from nature, and totally stressed. Profmed's Stress Index 2017 claims that stress has both an emotional and physical impact on professionals, with 10.9 percent of the respondents taking time off due to stress-related illness.  I was reminded on Tuesday to consciously seek out a closeness with nature to improve my own health, well-being and functioning.

Sunlight Dishwashing Liquid launched their Sunlight Extra range by treating us to a day of natural inspiration at Shepstone Gardens. We had a wedding at this lovely venue a few years back, and it still is a favourite spot in my books.

There is so much inspiration from nature, and these are my 5 take-away notes. How do we bring Nature back into our lives? 

Turns out the meltdowns have an underlying base

Miss with dog

I feel so sad today. We have always struggled with the meltdowns, but we thought it would fizzle out! It's not so bad!


But after one particular blow-up about a muffin one morning, I phoned the school psychologist, and she has been seeing Miss at school.


We had our first feedback last night. She did the Rochard Psychology Test. What is underneath is much worse than we though. Obviously I am not going to share much about the details, as this is not my story.

5 Lists to survive the upcoming holiday Season

List making

The End-of-Year rush and busyness come with a lot of stress. Although December is a time to love, it is also a time of upheaval and being out of your comfort zone! You know it's near the end of the year, and there is some sort of overwhelm! It's holiday or no holiday! It's family time and friends' time! There's preparations, and sorting out some of the stuff that had been put on the back burner during the year.

I have a permanent feeling of anxiety, and when I try to pin-point the exact reason for it, it's not only one thing. The dietician told me this morning that "stress" is the number one complaint she hears from her clients. They are all stressed at the moment! (And of course the diets take a knock!)

The only way I know how to take control of the end-of-year madness is to make lists. Prioritize the important stuff and what needs to be done! It helps you feel more in control. I always enjoy Marcia's Instagram lists on Organising Queen. Check out her 3 Kinds of lists for your bullet journal. She is by far the List Queen!

Working mothers - We are slaying it!

Janice Windt (Working Mothers Expo)

It's great to hear that we as moms are doing a great job! That working moms are super human! That we are amazing and that we as moms have tremendous value! We sometimes forget it in the thick of things, trying to get the little one to wear that extra jacket to school... Each and every day! Blah!

I was extremely fortunate to be able to attend Kids Emporium Bloggers Breakfast at Olives and Plates this past Saturday. Lauren and her team spoilt us and gave us so much soul food as well!

Stunning!@olivesandplates #breakfast #bloggersbreakfast #kidsemporium #thompsonsholidays #champagne https://t.co/Pgp7GRJNkT pic.twitter.com/ph5zpsNArE

— Karen du Toit (@karentoittoit) June 24, 2017

As far as I am concerned, it doesn't matter to me if you are a SAHM, WAHM or a FTWM, we are all "working moms"! There are ways to deal with working moms guilt, after all!

Janice Windt from Working Mothers Expo spoke to us about the value we attach to the things we do and sometimes that can be too much! We want to believe that the more we do, the more value we have! We want to believe that the time we spent will have intrinsic value regardless of what we do. But it can be too many things that we say yes to! It can be overwhelming! One of the things that working mothers struggles the most with, is time management!

Working Mothers Expo ran a recent survey:

They asked hundreds of working moms: “What is your biggest challenge?”
Without any leading information, 84% answered "Time Management".   

In another survey, which had over 1,000 working moms respond, they found that:

• 74% of us wake up before sunrise
• 21% of us never make our beds in the morning
• 1 in 3 of us spend 9 or more hours at work, our day job, every day!
• 55% of working moms only get 5-6 hours sleep on a weeknight
• A third of us check our work email before we even get out of bed in the morning
• 56% of us never exercise
• 65% or moms are somewhat or very likely to swear at something in the morning – no judgement here!

Janice Windt also touched on the fact that we might still be craving the approval of our parents? It is necessary to figure out what still serves us, and to let go of the why? We are in a specific time-frame/season in our lives! We are doing it for our kids (or NOT!). We can let go of the exterior motives! We are in our own season! We can decide our intrinsic value and our intrinsic purpose!
We can reap the benefits of our own perspectives!

I am enough! 

Janice from @workingmomsa about finding value in who you are! #kidsemporium @kidsemp #bloggersbreakfast #thompso… https://t.co/caqJY9FK6V pic.twitter.com/X7fMbH1I8r

— Karen du Toit (@karentoittoit) June 24, 2017

Janice reminds us that balance does not exist! We need the stress and the challenge to do what we do and pursue our goals. But we also need to de-stress to be able to handle the stress!

Janice uses the following tools to help her cope: 

- Mindjet Mind Manager to organise her life!
- Audible to listen to books while on her way.
- She also tries to go hands-free every once in a while (cellphone limits!) (Check out Hands-free Mama blog)


Working Mothers Expo has created a two-hour Time-Management Make-Over workshop.
Sign up here to be notified: Time-Management Make-over


What do you do to de-stress?


Related post: Inspiring Lauren de Swardt of Kids Emporium

Stressful teen years

I feel very sorry for teenagers nowadays. Their lives are so busy. With studies, and sport, and exams! I think they have more stress in their lives than we used to have.

Arnia comes home from her hockey, and then she has to finish her homework and study as well. She even has to decide which task is most important (counts the most), and make a choice what to do and what not. It does feel as if they get more on their plates than they can handle sometimes... Or, maybe it is good for them? It teaches them to focus their energies. (I hope so!)

I was very proud of her last week when she typed out CV’s with introduction letters. She handed the CV’s to managers at seven shops in the nearby mall. She is looking for a part-time job at weekends and school holidays to start saving for the French tour next year. She got six “maybe” answers and the promise that they will phone her this week. Thumbs crossed!

Sometimes all that is needed is to go and ask...