Having a game plan in advance will help create a more enjoyable Yom Tov experience
Yom Tov is a joyous time, when family and friends come together to spend time with each other and reconnect with their Creator. But for many people who struggle with executive functioning challenges, Yom Tov can bring about feelings of increased anxiety and overwhelm.
When faced with these feelings, begin by contemplating the most challenging aspects of past Yamim Tovim. The most common categories are meal planning, shopping, cooking, upkeep of the home, triggering interpersonal interactions, and sensory dysregulation. It’s helpful to break down each category into smaller parts to pinpoint the precise challenges.
Now, let’s look at each category and see what we can do to better prepare ourselves to navigate them.
When addressing meal planning, divide each meal by category such as challah, dips and salads, soup, mains, sides, and desserts. Then decide what you’ll serve for each category for each meal. Once armed with a meal plan, you can then create a shopping list. You should ideally do this two weeks before the start of Yom Tov so you can start cooking earlier and spread the tasks out over a larger period of time.
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