A couple of years ago, I wrote a post titled "Ways to Stay Calm & Relax While Wedding Planning" That post outlines ways that one can relax throughout the wedding planning process, and today, I wanted to write Part 2 that offers additional tips on how to stay calm while wedding planning.
Take A Step Back
Sometimes the best thing to do when wedding planning gets overwhelming is to take a step back. There are a couple of ways to "take a step back" from a task. You can take a step back from the task you are working on by moving on to another, less overwhelming item. For example, maybe creating a seating chart has become too overwhelming, but getting three thank you cards from your bridal shower seems a bit more manageable. Take a step away from the seating chart and work on the cards instead! You can also take a step back by thinking about why the task you are working on is so stressful. Is creating a seating chart overwhelming because the thought of going through that many tables is too much to handle? If so, ask someone else if they might be able to help you with it so that you can divide and conquer!
One Step At A Time
Bigger, overwhelming tasks can be more easily handled when they are broken down into smaller ones. For example, if you need to find a photographer but are overwhelmed at the options, break that task down into some smaller ones: 1. research photographers 2. pick your top five 3. email and set up phone calls with your top five 4. narrow your favorites down, and so on. Approaching larger tasks that way makes each item you check off seem more manageable.
Meditate
Meditation is a great way to reduce stress and slow down. If you are new to meditating, one app that we recommend to get you started is Calm. Given the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, Calm is offering free resources here for anyone to use to support mental and emotional wellness during this stressful time. Using these resources can be a great way to help you slow down when you are starting to feel the overwhelm of planning, especially if you are dealing with the additional stressor of trying to plan during a global pandemic.
Don't Forget!
It's easy to get wrapped up in all the details, decision-making, and budgeting. At the current moment, the fact that you may need to postpone and start all over again can be absolutely heartbreaking. One thing that always puts things into perspective is remembering the reason why you are wedding planning in the first place. Your marriage is the driving force behind all the wedding planning and is the one detail that will never change, regardless of what is going on with the rest of your plans. Rember that your marriage to the love of your life is your constant. Try to use that to ground yourself and give yourself a smile when things start to feel challenging.
