How to Deal with Holiday Stress
The holiday season is officially here. Holidays are meant to be a celebration, but, they can quickly become stressful. Some of us stress about finances— like gift giving, expensive flights home, and meals out. Others aren’t built for extended family time & awkward conversations with their high school acquaintances in the grocery store.
With all of these distractions, finding quiet time typically overlooked. Hence, holiday anxiety. Our gift to you? Practices you can maintain to reduce your holiday stress & keep the fun in the celebration.
Step 1: Set Realistic Expectations
When the holiday season rolls around, it’s common to feel the need to give gifts, volunteer time, or schedule countless visits. These are fulfilling goals to set if and only if your holiday expectations are realistic. Don’t schedule yourself all day every day. Instead, identify the holiday tasks of the utmost importance and take manageable steps in order to complete them.
Step 2: Saying “No”
When the stressors pile up, remember that it is ok to say “no” to plans or activities that will wear you out. Even if you’ve been waiting all year to be with your entire family or friends, sometimes enough is, in fact, enough. There’s a reason why we crave time with friends & family. Connection with others improves our mood, mental state, and even our physical health. However, if you overextend yourself, it can have the opposite effect. Check in with yourself— do you need some time to attend to your own needs and feelings?
If you need alone time, here are some ideas from our friends at the Huffington Post to decline plans in a warm way:
“Thank you for thinking of me, I’d love to attend but can’t today.”
“I really appreciate your invite, but, I’m taking the day off.”
“I don’t think I will come today, but I am free on Tuesday (or whenever you expect to feel rested)!”
“No, thank you!” — Ok this one is basically the same as saying “no,” but, normalizing it isn’t bad either.
Step 3: Keep a Holiday Agenda (We know it sounds weird)
Most of us associate agendas with meetings or work hours, so, it seems off to keep one during a period that is supposed to be relaxing. But the thing is, even if it’s writing down what time you’ll go to the grocery store, when you’ll see friends, or when you can have alone time— keeping an agenda can reduce stress levels tremendously. In fact, studies demonstrate that writing tasks & timelines down with a pen and paper reduce stress levels, especially in times as busy as the holiday season.
Step 4: Take a Walk
There’s a reason why you’ll see this tip in so many mental health articles. According to a study conducted by North Dakota State University, walking releases brain chemicals, known as endorphins, which stimulate relaxation & improve our mood. And if you really want to enhance your walk, they also found that counting your steps, “one, two, one, two” improves your ability to engage in the activity mindfully.
Step 5: Know What Works for You
The steps listed above might be our most common tips, but, you know best what work for you. The key is to cut through the noise and ensure that there is time for self-care, even during the holiday season. For example, if reading helps you unwind before bed, don’t be afraid to leave gatherings a touch early to take the time to settle down. If you go to therapy during the week, keep to your schedule, even if it means taking a call from the car (we’ve all been there).
The holiday season can be anxiety provoking, but as we said earlier, the goal is celebration. Enjoy every minute of it that you can— that’s the point!