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Stay sane while single at the holidays? Yes, you can!

Guest Post by Nicole Yelich, Impact Dialing

It’s that time of year again.  Actually, it’s been that time of year since right around Halloween when the first glimpses of the holidays began to seep through – a discreet display of ornaments popping up at the Picture1 card store, a few sprigs of holly berries in the windows of a trendy woman’s clothing store.  Now that Thanksgiving is fast-approaching, it’s unmistakable: The Holiday Season has officially begun. 

It’s true that the holidays are a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends and the festive parties can be fun, but we all know holidays are also anxiety-producing.  The crowded shopping malls.  Crazy traffic.  If you don’t live close to your loved ones, you have to fight the lines of cranky travelers and weather delays to make the trek home. 

Being single at the holidays can also be a nerve-wracking experience.  Going solo to holiday parties, family gatherings – and don’t forget the dreaded New Years Eve party – can stir up some unfortunate feelings.  Thankfully, life goes back to normal in January, as we all struggle to recover from the frenzy of too much money spent and too many cookies eaten.  But until then, here are a few creative - and practical - ways to stay sane when you’re single at the holidays.

80s Dance Party with Your Girlfriends

Time to break out the skinny jeans, slouchy boots and off-the-shoulder shirts!  Dance away the dating doldrums at a rockin’ 80s dance party.  (These things are much better when enjoyed in public rather than your living room, FYI.)  Grab the girls and head out for a night of booty-shakin’ and moon-walkin’.  I promise that after a few martinis, you won’t be concerned with what your running man looks like.

TiVo Everything

Avoid the onslaught of ads featuring blissful families building perfect snowmen in idyllic settings, and then running inside for the world’s best cup of soup.  Or the picture-perfect couples snuggling during a big snowstorm with a new set of diamond earrings to keep them warm.  Or the kids coming home from school to find mom wrapping gifts, next to the plug-in candle pumping fake cinnamon scent into the air.  Fast-forward, ladies.  Fast-forward!!

Plan a Fabulous Trip

Give yourself something to be excited about in the new year – and impress others in the process.  When you’re passing around plates of your mom’s famous turkey, distract your family from the inevitable questions about your dating life with news of the exciting trip you’ve got on the horizon.  Believe me, this works.  I was the single maid-of-honor at my younger sister’s wedding a few years ago.  Two days later, I hopped on a plane for a three week trip around Italy with my best friend.  Everyone at the wedding was much more interested in my upcoming travel, than in trying to set me up!

Delete Problem Phone Numbers

In general, this is a good rule of thumb for anytime of year – the drunk dial is not a new phenomenon.  We all have phone numbers lingering in our cell phones that should come with a warning label – or a breathalyzer.  Do a clean sweep and rid yourself of numbers that could complicate things if called or texted after one-too-many eggnogs at your company’s annual holiday party.   And while we’re on the subject of office holiday parties…

Stay Away from Office Party Mistletoe

Definitely do not get caught under the mistletoe with that hot but arrogant guy who’s had his eye on you for the last few months.  You know the one, he thinks of mundane projects to ask for your help with during staff meetings, so he has a reason to check in with you later.  Or he tries to weasel an invite to your girls-only happy hours.  Don’t let a moment of mulled-wine induced weakness lead to a mistletoe mishap.

The bottom line is: make plans to laugh with good friends, and avoid anything you might regret once the holiday haze has worn off.  You’ll survive the holidays without succumbing to the drama and start the new year off as the happy single gal you are…

Though, you may want to keep a few of these tips in your back pocket when Valentine’s Day rolls around!

Nicole Yelich headshot

Nicole Yelich is a writer for Impact Dialing, a web-based power dialer and hosted predictive dialer that helps small business market to new customers and nonprofits launch successful telefundraising campaigns. Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn.

 

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