By Dr. Michelle Irwin

The Holidays are here, and we are entering what we call the Holiday Red Zone!

What this means is the end goal is nearing and we are under the stress of the season. You all know what I am talking about. Everyone is trying to get things done before the end of the year for work, trying to find the right gifts for holiday giving, making plans for the get-togethers we can have again, and just trying to keep things together without fumbling the ball.

In football, the red zone is the final 20 yards before the end zone on a scoring drive. This is where the players either get incredibly focused and complete the play for a touchdown or get anxious, antsy, stressed out and blow the game. Our goal this month is to help you make the play of the game and get those points on the board.

First thing to do is make a list of what needs to happen this month. Then we can break down the steps it is going to take to get those tasks accomplished. This is something we do all the time to make sure daily tasks are completed and then for each week, month, and quarter.

Creating this list allows us to have a sense of accomplishment when we get to check each task off and then we also know that everything is completed, and we don’t have to worry about missing anything. Also, by making a list and checking it twice, we can make sure we don’t miss out on tasks that seem small but maybe the keystone to holding everything together nice and tight!

I know it sounds simple but that is how it should be, nice and easy. When we can simplify our lives, we can reduce stress and enjoy more of our time together.