How to Avoid Holiday Stress
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Holidays are a festive, joyous time. But, they are often very stressful. A long To-Do list and a packed social calendar can overwhelm you. Instead of a break from work, it feels like you’ve taken on an extra job.
You expect it to feel somewhat stressful – to a point. The running all over town, making sure the house is clean, that the food is ready and the presents are wrapped.
You’re not alone. According to the American Psychiatric Association, approximately 89% of Americans are stressed by the holiday season.
Make Self-Care and Wellness a Priority
Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness can be a valuable wellness tool. It can be particularly helpful if you're traveling or dealing with an unusual schedule. If you're new to mindfulness, there are many online resources and apps that can help you. Consider:
Headspace
Calm
Smiling Mind
10% happier
Meditation You
Prioritize
While the holiday season brings joy, it can also bring conflicting obligations. It's important to prioritize what brings you joy and emotional recharge. Contemplate which people and activities bring you joy. Simplify your activities when you can.
It might be nice to make your grandmother's cookie recipe from scratch for every holiday, but if that's stressful for you this year, buy cookies at the store or a local bakery. You’re still celebrating.
Take a break
Don't forget about your own needs. Consider giving yourself the gift of time during the holidays. Take a break from all your errands. Set aside time to go ice skating, take a nap, or watch a funny movie. Laughing relaxes the whole body and can relieve physical tension and stress.
Get Some Fresh Air and Sunlight
Even if you're not a big winter sports fan, getting outside helps relax you and lift your mood.
Because of fewer hours of sunlight in the winter and more time spent indoors, many people struggle with feelings of depression. Walking outside in the sun can be an effective centering and calming tool. Numerous studies have documented the mental health benefits of spending time in nature, including stress reduction, better concentration, lower levels of inflammation and improved mental energy.
If You’re in Therapy, Stay in Therapy
Although the holiday season may be overwhelmingly busy, try to keep regularly scheduled therapy a priority. The holidays can bring up difficult emotions. Keeping scheduled therapy sessions helps ensure you have built in time to explore anything that comes up.
If you're going out of town and you typically meet in person with your therapist, ask if you can do a virtual meeting.
Journal
Journaling is a technique that helps you process negative thoughts, feelings, or experiences by releasing them. By putting these things on the page, they can have less power over you. Alternatively, you can consistently journal about what is going well or things are grateful for to keep challenges in perspective.
Sleep Well
Sleeping for at least seven and a half hours a night for three nights consecutively, guarantees you will get through at least five full sleep cycles. Going through those sleep cycles gives you the full benefits of Stage Four Sleep, which is the most nourishing and restful sleep. Getting enough sleep also boosts your immunity.
Take a Bubble Bath
Sometimes a hot shower or soaking in a hot bubble bath does wonders for the mood. Not to mention the steam is a natural decongestant and can help loosen up any stuffiness. Consider adding a eucalyptus steamer packet to the shower to make this escape all the more relaxing and rejuvenating.
Keep Up With Exercise Routines
Your workout routine is often the first thing to get lost in the shuffle during the holidays. But it's more important than ever to release mental and physical tension. Even if you do a bit less than normal, try to stick to your routines. If you normally run five miles, try to do at least a mile. If you normally go to a yoga class, clear space in the living room and try a 10-minute yoga routine on a yoga app.
Other Routine Self-Maintenance
Don't forget other routine maintenance that focuses on you:
Eat regularly
Get a massage
Practice deep breathing
Keep healthy snacks on hand, like fruits and vegetables
Manage Family Dynamics and Finances
Enjoy your family but avoid drama. Most people have at least one challenging family member that can make holiday gatherings stressful. Or that one family argument that just won’t resolve itself. Try not to get drawn into the fray. If necessary, take a break from the gathering. Go load the dishwasher or escape outside and call a friend.
Whatever your family dynamics are, have a plan to avoid tension.
Cope with grief and loss. During the holiday season, many people have a more difficult time, missing a loved one that they have lost. This can be especially true for people who have their first holiday season without a loved one.
Instead of trying to avoid thinking about your loved one, try honoring and celebrating them by getting together with other family members and friends and treasuring their life stories, especially stories that highlight important aspects of their life and personality.
Understand your budget. Your son wants expensive video games. Your daughter just has to have that new iPhone or she’ll die (so she’s said). And your mother has been hinting about that French cookware set for six months…
Holiday spending can easily leave you in debt, leading to stress that lasts well into the new year.
Plan your spending. Look for sales and discounts. Make a budget and stick to it. Spending money on your loved ones is fun, but it's important to have money for day-to-day needs.
Be Mindful of Food and Alcohol Consumption. This is a very tricky one for the holidays.
Do your best to stick with healthy eating habits, but remember moderation is key. Try not to succumb to the pressure of overeating and drinking to excess.
Skip the drive-thru. Eating on-the-go during the holidays is inevitable, but too much fast food won't do you any favors. Use Sunday to meal prep extra portions for the week. Preparing more slow cooker recipes will guarantee you and your family a healthy meal at home.
If you're attending a party, don't show up with an empty stomach, grab a snack packed with fiber and protein.
Also remember to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Holiday Planning and Organization
Stock up on hostess gifts earlier in the year. Keep a few hostess gifts in the linen closet. That way, when you're unexpectedly invited to a gathering, you don’t have to stress over what to bring as a thank you.
Simplify travel and limit car time. Traveling to and from work in daily traffic is a bummer, but holiday travel takes the cake.
Do what you can to make it as easy as possible on yourself.
Try to get direct flights, or at least minimize the number of stops along the way. You'll avoid the stress of having to rush from plane to plane or having to wait around for long periods of time.
Skip planes altogether. If you're close enough to your destination, consider driving instead. Or take a bus or train.
Avoid spending a lot of time in the car traveling from one gathering to the next. If possible, only go to the events that you truly want to attend. This helps you set healthy boundaries and keep a reasonable schedule.
Send gifts ahead via mail or UPS rather than transporting them. And buy food items when you get there, instead of carrying them with you.
Pack in advance. Don't wait until the night before a trip to pack, fill your suitcase a couple of days in advance. That way you'll have time to think through everything you need and what you don't. Overstuffing your suitcase will cost you extra in checked bag fees and also put a strain on your back.
Simplify Your Hosting Duties
If you’re hosting gatherings at your home, make things easier for yourself.
Plan your menu in advance. Plan your menu a few weeks out to save yourself the headache of last minute grocery shopping. Clean and chop vegetables a day or two beforehand. Pie crust and cookie dough can also be made ahead and stored in the freezer. Even better, ask guests to bring a dish.
Stick to the dishes you know. The holidays are stressful enough. Experimenting with a new recipe can add unnecessary stress. Pick things you know how to cook well: your mom’s mac and cheese that you’ve made a thousand times and ask your spouse to contribute his creamy mashed potatoes. Your classic dishes are crowd pleasers and allow you to focus energy elsewhere.
You can also have things catered that are just too complicated when you’re stressed (or you simply don’t want to do). Just remember to put in your order for the dressing, baked ham, turkey – whatever it is you will need well before your party to avoid missing any ordering deadlines.
Set the table the night before. This is a perfect task to do ahead. Think how lovely it will be when you wake to the candles and your best dishes already on the table. It creates a more festive environment on the big day without causing you additional stress.
Create a relaxing environment. Turn on some music, light some candles, open the windows if it’s a sunny day. Research has found that listening to music and the scent of citrus in your diffuser can boost feelings of wellbeing. The sun’s vitamin D is always a happiness booster. So when you can step out for a breather, do.
Cut out clutter. A study conducted by Prevention Magazine named clutter as one of women’s biggest stressors. Do yourself a favor and get the carpets cleaned weeks ahead. And clean out your closet before the holiday parties start. Plan your outfits accordingly and note what needs to be dry cleaned ahead of time. That way you won't end up scrambling or realizing your favorite dress is dirty at the last minute.
Ask for help. Delegate small, final tasks to a guest who arrives early and needs something to do, like placing dishes on the table as they become ready or having someone take coats from guests as they arrive.
Giving Back and Helping Others
Giving back boosts happiness. A study completed at the University of British Columbia found that those who give even $5 to someone else felt measurably better than those who bought themselves a treat instead.
Donating or volunteering for a good cause can make you feel better than buying an item you don’t need.
Reach Out to Medical Providers for Additional Help
If you know that this time of year is particularly hard for you or will be, lean on friends and family. Talk to them about how you're feeling and let them help you set boundaries.
Be realistic about how much you can do and handle this season. Forget about perfection. Relax and enjoy the company around you.
While holiday blues are common for many at this time of year, if you experience excessive anxiety or depression it should not be ignored. Talk to your primary care provider or therapist.
Coral Rose Counseling is here to help. Therapy can help you develop healthy thinking patterns, healthy behaviors and positive coping strategies.
Sessions are conducted virtually for women residing in Georgia or Virginia.
Click here to set up a consultation today.
Resources
American Psychiatric Association. (2022, December 21). Seven ways to cope with holiday stress. https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/seven-ways-to-cope-with-holiday-stress
Kirshnit, C. (2023, December). 10 tips to reduce stress and take care of yourself during the holidays. UC Davis Health. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/10-tips-to-reduce-stress-and-take-care-of-yourself-during-the-holidays/2023/12
Reisner, P. (2021, December 3). 9 tips to fend off holiday stress. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/fend-off-holiday-stress-with-these-tips
Prevention. (n.d.). 24 tips for stressless holiday planning. https://www.prevention.com/health/g20454717/24-tips-for-stressless-holiday-planning/?utm_campaign=mgu_ga_pre_md_pmx_hybd_mix_us_20739785489&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). 4 mindful tips to de-stress this holiday season. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/4-mindful-tips-to-destress-this-holiday-season
