Holiday Stress Can Be A Monster—Here’s How We’re Fighting Back
It’s easy to think back on holidays of the past with fondness and gratitude. They’re joyous times to connect with family and friends, eat good food, and get into the spirit of the season. However, this grand celebration doesn’t just happen.
How to Strike a Balance for Holiday Wellness
There are many things to prepare, buy, and think about before the festivities can even begin, and all of this can easily get overwhelming if you don’t have a plan in place to combat (and manage) the stress that comes along with the holiday season. Striking an attainable balance between making the holidays great and keeping your mental health in check will be the key to help you manage and reduce holiday stress.
You Aren’t Alone
The anxiety of traveling and social obligations associated with the holiday season can take a toll on your mental health. You may dread the thought of breaking your routine or being in unfamiliar circumstances, such as spending the holidays with your significant other’s family for the first time. Knowing you aren’t alone in this struggle might bring you some peace of mind. According to this study, 62% of Americans said their stress was elevated during the holiday season.
“Knowing you aren’t alone in this struggle might bring you some peace of mind...62% of Americans said their stress was elevated during the holiday season.”
With these tips, you can finally incorporate some holiday wellness into your routine and join the blissful group of people who can sail through the holidays stress-free (or at least a little less overwhelmed than the rest of us).
Break Away From “Too Much”
What we do we mean by too much? The concept of too many things and not enough time is all around us during the holidays. Without proper restrictions and planning in place, too much of anything can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health.
Consider what you need to have control over and participate in during this holiday season and what you can let go of or minimize your time spent with. Even overdoing activities that seem fun and exciting can play a role in a weakened immune system or increased anxiety, so put yourself first by placing healthy boundaries on the following this holiday season:
Doing Too Much
Obligations rise to a whole new level during the holidays. Many companies have year-end quotas or deadlines before the holiday break. Social obligations swing into overdrive with the inclusion of office holiday parties and personal shindigs. Family and relatives may come to visit.
Ultimately, it may seem like there is an endless list of tasks to get done, and it’s all on your shoulders. Doing too much during this season can leave you feeling rundown and unable to enjoy the usual festivities of the season. Avoid becoming overwhelmed by identifying which tasks can wait until you return to the office. Focusing on one task will lead to greater happiness and prevent burnout.
Too Much (or Too Little) Socialization
For the introverts among us, the holidays can symbolize a stressful time of forced togetherness with relatives and friends. While spending time with loved ones can be fulfilling, it’s important to remember that for some, there is a healthy balance between companionship and alone time.
“While spending time with loved ones can be fulfilling, it’s important to remember that for some, there is a healthy balance between companionship and alone time.”
Monitor how you’re feeling and remember to take these breaks by yourself to recharge as you need them so that you can be present and engaged when it comes time to spend moments with others.
The opposite can be true as well. For many, the holiday season represents a time of loneliness, as you may not have close friends or family to celebrate the season with. Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends or invite them to join you for the holidays. Even a bit of virtual socialization can help you get a bit more into the holiday spirit.
Spending Too Much
The holiday season has become synonymous with excessive consumerism. Avoid the financial stress of the holidays by setting a budget for yourself and not succumbing to peer pressure (or marketing!) by buying gifts in excess. If the idea of spending money on gifts this season causes your stress or anxiety, talk to your friends about having a no-gift Christmas, only spending a certain amount, or focusing on a season of experiences instead.
Set Your Schedule
A great way to ease holiday stress is to take back control. Even though the holidays can be a time for relaxation, make it a point to maintain your normal schedule. Keeping this routine is an easy way to work out anxiety by taking time for yourself and controlling your obligations.
If maintaining your workout schedule helps to ease your anxiety, make sure to schedule a workout around your family time. A local Turkey Trot race is a fun way to kickstart the day, bond with family, and shake out tired and restless legs after hours of traveling.
“If you find yourself becoming overloaded by events and planning, organize your thoughts and eliminate the items that are not serving you this season. You control your schedule; it doesn’t control you.”
Writing down your schedule will also help you to see how feasible your plans are and if you are trying to do too much. It’s also a great way to set your priorities. If you find yourself becoming overloaded by events and planning, organize your thoughts and eliminate the items that are not serving you this season. You control your schedule; it doesn’t control you.
Learn How to Say ‘No’
If you followed our tip about setting a schedule, look at it honestly. If you are someone who gets easily exhausted by the flurry of holiday activity, ask yourself which items you can share with someone else. Is there anything that you can say no to? Would it help your mental health to decline a holiday party invitation?
Learning how to say no is a crucial step in keeping your sanity this exceptionally busy time. Saying no to the things that overwhelm you now can save you the guilt you may have later when you neglect certain activities out of pure exhaustion. There is no weakness in saying no. Instead, focus on what you can say yes to and concentrate on doing those fewer tasks to the best of your ability.
Don’t Neglect Your Self-Care
One of the first things that we often neglect when we are busy is our self-care. Neglecting ourself for the sake of others (or for the greater holiday plan) can lead to a major mental—as well as physical—breakdown. Make sure that you take time for yourself during the holidays. This could be something as simple as grabbing your favorite book and finding a quiet corner to read or as elaborate as scheduling a massage. Take time to do an activity that you enjoy and break away from the stress of the season.
Don’t Skimp on Sleep
Make sure that you aren’t neglecting sleep! Traveling can leave us feeling deprived and drained, especially after enduring long hours in a car or airport. Getting a good night’s sleep (8 hours is ideal) can play a huge factor in ensuring that you don’t get sick. Plus, a great night’s sleep is a guaranteed way to wake up feeling recharged and ready to handle those overbearing relatives.
Avoid Arguing
Meeting up with family for holidays can mean preparing yourself to fend off nosy questions, argue differences in politics and lifestyle choices, or to remind you of all of the differences that you share with your family.
Unfortunately, not everyone will get along with each other; a difference of opinion can lead to an argument, which can further lead to more stress. To avoid this unnecessary drama, agree to disagree. Know that you won’t change their mind and take this time to talk about neutral subjects that won’t result in an argument.
Accept Imperfections
Likely one (or more!) things will not go as planned this holiday. From messing up a dish for dinner to showing up late to an event, life has a way of throwing curveballs at you when you least expect or want them. Accept from the beginning that some things will go wrong and that it’s okay. This way, when these curveballs get thrown at you, you can assess the situation and pivot your approach to move past it.
Getting bogged down by one mistake will only create blind spots to your other plans, causing more mistakes to come at you. Taking an easy-going approach can help you avoid getting weighed down by everything that’s going wrong and focus instead on what’s going right.
Talk it Out
If you’re feeling stressed, there’s no need to keep it trapped inside and deal with it on your own. Let others know how you are feeling and talk the situation out with them. Getting these negative feelings out of your head can naturally give you more clarity. Also, you might find that the person you’re talking to is feeling similar emotions as you. You’re likely not the only one who’s stressed about the holidays and wants to talk it out!
Accept Help
You may feel like the world is on your shoulders and that it’s your job to handle all of the holiday preparations, but it certainly isn’t. You can take a step back and ask for help from friends and family. They’re likely waiting for you to ask them to help and are often more than willing to give you a hand. You don’t have to be responsible for everything; asking and accepting help can make you—and the other person—feel more in the holiday spirit.
Be Kind
Being kind to yourself and the people around you can give your mind a bit of rest. It’s easy to get down on yourself when you make a mistake during the holidays. Say affirmations to remind yourself of how great you are and how great you’re doing even if you are feeling overwhelmed.
Also, being kind to others can help you spread positivity into the air that you’re operating in. Being nice to others doesn’t just make them feel good, it also makes you feel good. Keep the energy positive and you’ll find pieces of your holiday plan are coming together with much more ease.
“Being nice to others doesn’t just make them feel good, it also makes you feel good. Keep the energy positive and you’ll find pieces of your holiday plan are coming together with so much more ease.”
Be Patient
When you become overly stressed, take a moment to breathe and stay patient. This can calm your mind and body when you need it the most. Short fuses can lead to impatient outbursts that you don’t mean. Take a moment to yourself and find patience before responding to a stressful circumstance. It may not feel like you have time to do this, but that isn’t true. Having patience now will help you in the long-run.
Give Yourself Grace
While the holidays can be a stressful time, make sure to take time to focus on the moments and memories that you are creating. Yes, the season can be anxiety-causing, but it’s also a time that should be enjoyed and shared with those you love.
The moments of holiday stress are fleeting and will not linger. By January, you will have forgotten the holiday traffic or the burnt pie, but you won’t forget the smell of your grandmother’s cooking or the warm embrace of a relative. Stress over holiday indulgences will be a thing of the past as soon as post-holiday work resumes. Give yourself grace during this time and if something doesn’t go to plan, don’t let it affect your wellbeing.
“The moments of holiday stress are fleeting and will not linger. By January, you will have forgotten the holiday traffic or the burnt pie, but you won’t forget the smell of your grandmother’s cooking or the warm embrace of a relative.”
“Don’t Stress” Is Easier Said Than Done
You’re probably tired of hearing people telling you not to stress during this time. It’s unrealistic to think that you won’t come across moments of stress and negativity when preparing for the holidays. However, hopefully these tips will give you some ideas on how you can prepare to handle this stress when it comes and not take the holidays too seriously.