This post is a sponsored collaboration between myself and Natrol. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Five Ways to Take the Stress Out of Holiday Planning

Family traditions are so important to me! Growing up I can remember my grandmother and aunt carefully planning out their menu and shopping lists for Thanksgiving and Christmas. My grandma would make ten sweet potato pies at once, by hand, and she didn’t use a mixer! She made those pies with love and I never saw her reach for a measuring cup once. In 2013 my grandma passed away, and shortly after my aunt in 2014. They were both the matriarchs and foundation of our family. My sister and I have decided to keep the traditions alive, but put a spin on things for the holidays. Annually we celebrate “Friendsgiving!” Friendsgiving is hosted the day after Thanksgiving at my mom’s house in Chicago. Not only do I have to take part in menu planning and organizing the festivities, but I have to get my family prepared to travel from Atlanta to Chicago.

In the past couple of years I have been overwhelmed with packing, making sure I meet all of my work deadlines, homeschool, and party prep. Unfortunately I have become a last minute type person, so I end up running around like a chicken with its head chopped off! This year I want to avoid being stressed out and the last minute shenanigans so I put together this list to take the stress out of holiday planning not only for myself, but for you guys too!
1. Write Lists – Whether you create a checklist on your phone, or in your planner, be sure to create a list! Lists are an easy way to see everything you need to do and your menu in one place. If you create lists on your phone, you can easily highlight or remove what you’ve done already. My go to way is to write lists is in my planner with cute stickers and tape.
2. Manage Your Time Accordingly – I know many moms can relate when I say sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in a day! Outside of planning and writing lists, I have to get up ahead of my children at least two hours so that I can get my day started. In those two hours I work, clean house, maybe do a load of laundry, and take some time out to relax, meditate, and have a cup of tea.
3. Take Natrol® 5-HTP – Sometimes no matter how much we plan and prepare, we can still have those stressful moments during the holidays. For the times when I’m just feeling too overwhelmed, I reach for Natrol 5-HTP. Natrol 5-HTP is a 100% drug-free way to promote a calm and relaxed mood by promoting the body’s synthesis of Serotonin, the chemical messenger that greatly helps in enhancing mood.
4. Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute – I am so guilty of waiting until the last minute! I know now that I’m planning to travel in two weeks, but I will wait until the day before we leave to pack our bags. I don’t want to create stress, because waiting until the last minute is a sure fire way to do so, so I plan on packing our bags at least a couple of days in advance. I also plan to tie up any loose ends with business and we will be taking the week of Thanksgiving off from school work.
5. Delegate Tasks – I know as moms we feel like we can do it all, but guess what?! We can’t! We need help and it’s okay to say so!! If you have too much on your plate, please delegate tasks to other people in your family or your friends to make things easier.

†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases Based on ^Nielsen Data, 52-weeks ending 10/07/17

Benefits & features of Natrol® 5-HTP:
Promotes a calm and relaxed mood†
Helps reduce occasional stress and anxiety†
Helps maintain a positive outlook†
100% drug-free, non-habit forming†
Enables production of serotonin†
100% Vegetarian

You can find Natrol® 5-HTP in the Fast Dissolve formula while you’re out shopping at local drug stores, select grocers, warehouse clubs and online retailers. To learn more about Natrol’s suite of wellness products, head to their website and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

With these five tips, hopefully you’ll be able to find some relief from feeling overwhelmed and stressed during the holiday season! What part of the holidays do you look forward to the most?

Ashley