WEBVTT - Be merry and bright

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to aim for that line in the

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<v Speaker 1>song White Christmas. May your days be merry and bright.

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<v Speaker 1>It is easy to succumb to the stress of the

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<v Speaker 1>holiday season, particularly if you are the one in charge

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<v Speaker 1>of your family's schedule and celebrations, but being in a

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<v Speaker 1>good mood is one of the best presents you can

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<v Speaker 1>give your loved ones and yourself. This episode is first

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<v Speaker 1>airing in mid December, right in the middle of the

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<v Speaker 1>holiday business. Those of us with kids at home have

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<v Speaker 1>all the usual activities plus the special holiday ones like

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<v Speaker 1>concerts and parties. We want to make memories with trips

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<v Speaker 1>to see lights or Santa. People in all family situations

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<v Speaker 1>want to think through gifts and procure ones that will

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<v Speaker 1>make everyone we love delighted. Meanwhile, we may be trying

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<v Speaker 1>to wrap up the year's business at work, possibly hitting

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<v Speaker 1>certain numbers, and getting budgets and plans in place for

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<v Speaker 1>next year. All of it is wonderful. It is a

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<v Speaker 1>blessing to have people who want to make holiday memories

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<v Speaker 1>with you, and to have a high demand for your

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<v Speaker 1>time at work. It can also be a lot. When

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<v Speaker 1>we are stressed, even holiday fun can feel like one

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<v Speaker 1>more thing on the to do list. The people in

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<v Speaker 1>our lives can pick up on that stress. It can

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<v Speaker 1>cast a dark shadow over the whole holiday experience. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I am not saying we can simply eliminate stress. I

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<v Speaker 1>also think that a lot of the advice out there

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<v Speaker 1>simply saying do less doesn't quite get it right. Someone

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<v Speaker 1>needs to shop for my five kids presence and go

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<v Speaker 1>to their holiday concerts and the like. Even the bare

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<v Speaker 1>minimum would be a lot, and hence doing more than

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<v Speaker 1>the bare minimum, with its promise of making memories, isn't

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<v Speaker 1>an order of magnitude different. The stress is there regardless,

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<v Speaker 1>But what those of us who are managing complex Christmas

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<v Speaker 1>is can do is to put being merry and bright

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<v Speaker 1>on the list like everything else, aim to find the

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<v Speaker 1>fun in whatever is on the list for each day.

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<v Speaker 1>There are many things we can do to add genuinely enjoyable,

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<v Speaker 1>relaxing aspects to any holiday activity. Treat yourself to a

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<v Speaker 1>festive cup of coffee while shopping, or meet a friend

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<v Speaker 1>for lunch and then wend your way through target together.

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<v Speaker 1>I once took a late afternoon to go to a

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<v Speaker 1>light display all by myself so I could look at

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<v Speaker 1>what I wanted to look at for the amount of

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<v Speaker 1>time I wanted to without pushing a stroller around everywhere.

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<v Speaker 1>Put on your favorite music while wrapping presents. During stressful times,

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<v Speaker 1>good habits become even more critical. In my recent book

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<v Speaker 1>Tranquility by Tuesday, I list three foundational time management habits

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<v Speaker 1>that I think have the biggest payoff. First, give yourself

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<v Speaker 1>a bedtime. Staying up late to do some online holiday

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<v Speaker 1>shopping isn't going to make the holidays go more smoothly.

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<v Speaker 1>It will just put you in a bad mood in

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<v Speaker 1>the morning. The second rule is to plan on Fridays.

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<v Speaker 1>Carve out time each week to think through the upcoming

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<v Speaker 1>week so you know what you need to do, and

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<v Speaker 1>also so you can make sure to plan in things

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<v Speaker 1>that are fun for you too. The third rule is

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<v Speaker 1>to move by three pm. Physical activity is a known

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<v Speaker 1>mood booster, particularly for those of us in places where

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<v Speaker 1>the days are getting very short. Getting outside to walk

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<v Speaker 1>for ten minutes in the middle of the day can

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<v Speaker 1>give the day a reset button. I always return in

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<v Speaker 1>a much better frame of mind. Ideally, everyone a on

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<v Speaker 1>us will also aim to be merry and bright. Unfortunately

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<v Speaker 1>that doesn't always happen, but moods are contagious. Being merry

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<v Speaker 1>and bright is a gift to those around us as

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<v Speaker 1>much as anything else we might give them. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got a lot on your plate, it can be a

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<v Speaker 1>more challenging gift than buying a toy, but it is

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<v Speaker 1>a worthwhile one nonetheless. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod. That's b the number four then breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows. Ye