Before even getting into the topic at hand, I’d like to state that I am an avid overthinker.
It’s a habit(well, it’s more of a trait at this point) that has been stuck with me for ages, and like a possessive lover, this overthinking tendency never leaves my side. So whenever I get into planning, well, you can imagine the chaos that occurs inside my head.
But like every other person, I really am into gift-giving. Whether it be for a birthday or any sort of celebration, the thought of putting a smile on my friends' faces gets me pumping. It’s the process of deciding what to give them that I dread. Because, it is hard, to create a simple, linear thought process in my head, about what to give them and how to do it. So, I do need some tricks and strategies to get my thoughts in order, and do it in the most hassle-free way.
Even if it sounds kinda bland and robotic, I have this vague outline of gifts in my mind that I apply to almost everyone I give out a present to. The outline contains mostly three things:
The main gift.
A hand-written letter because I am a sucker for aesthetics and, well, it just feels more personal that way. And,
Chocolates/Cakes.
I try to follow this simple outline and tick all the boxes when I’m setting up someone's present, and as you can see, other than the main gift, the other things are almost always the same and don't require much thinking to be done on my part. What actually gets my mind in a jumble is the main gift, for which, I create a mental chart in my head about what the other person, whom I’ll be giving the gift might like, or need at the moment. I usually give out gifts to my close friends and family members this way, and for the more formal acquaintances, I just scratch out the letter part because it doesn’t fit the vibe.
I think gifts should be more useful in nature rather than for show. So most of the time I try to buy something practical that the other party can actually use. Be it a nice sweater, an expensive bag, nice perfumes or even art supplies. So whenever I’m out gift hunting, I try to think about their needs, what they like to use in their everyday life, and what they might appreciate. From there I get onto filling up my mental chart, and then, I pick out the best option and stick with it.
Because of this, I can proudly say that I’ve yet to give someone something that they didn’t like, and it’s a wonderful feeling, really, to see someone use something you gave them from time to time, and think that however small or big thing it was, it made their days a little bit better and easier.
So yeah, this is how I deal with my gift-giving anxiety. A vague outline, a mental chart and some practical thinking. Works every time for me, and helps with keeping me from going overboard with my overthinking mind.
