Even though we all know that the December holiday season is a joyous time meant for celebrations and to give you some time off from duties at school or work, stress never seems far away.
It’s normal for people to experience some stress because it is a natural reaction to navigating the ordinary pressures of daily life. But stress can increase to an uncomfortable level and make things rough when life gets out of balance.
However, with some planning and organization for the holidays, you can change your mindset as you start to effectively manage any stress that comes up. Here are some tips to help you get started:
1. Set Expectations
Unrealistic expectations can generate stress, so be careful in what your are hoping to achieve (from buying presents in a set amount of time to how much food you’ll prepare for holiday feasts). The key is to know and respect your limits so you don’t get stretched too thin.
2. If Feeling Overwhelmed, Take Breaks
Taking a break from time to time is necessary regardless of how pressing the tasks might be. Otherwise, you might make mistakes or forget to do something important. A 10-minute period of silent meditation or going for a walk are good ways to relax amid holiday hubbub. This includes taking a break from making holiday-oriented to-do lists!
3. Appreciate Your Blessings and Demonstrate Gratitude
When you have a feeling of being thankful for what you have, from possessions and a roof over your head to the people in your life, it can give you a feeling of peace and serenity. That’s an important factor for managing stress during the holidays as well as throughout the rest of the year.
4. Practice Generosity
Be generous with your time and attention as well as with your pocketbook when you can. It will make others feel great and you’ll reduce stress when you see their mood lift.
5. Start (and End) Each Day With Something Enjoyable
There’s always some time to play and have fun every day. Getting up in time to watch the sun rise, trying a new breakfast recipe, playing board games with your family, sharing a funny movie—the options are endless!
6. Remember That Relationships Matter
Reflect on what it means to you personally, to be able to connect with family and friends (whether virtually through video chat or physically).
Being able to spend time bonding with loved ones this holiday season can provide enormous stress relief. When it’s hard to get together in person because of health concerns, you can still maintain connections online during lockdowns.
You can start to feel your stress melting away when you take a moment for yourself and think about the people in your life that mean the most to you.
7. Have a Stress-Free Holiday Season!
Practicing these various methods to reduce stress will certainly make a big difference in how you experience the holidays this year. Remember to give yourself a break with enough time and space to relax whenever things get to be too much.
The holiday season is a time for family gatherings and fun with friends. Unfortunately, it can also be a time of increased stress. It’s perfectly natural to feel stressed out when the holidays roll around. While stress is a natural response to pressure from day-to-day life, it can become unmanageable. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to combat holiday stress and ensure that you’re able to enjoy the season.
Indeed, setting up the bar low for expectations and meditating can reduce stress. As a mother, I can relate. Holidays can be quite stressful and tiring.
These are great tips!! Even though the holidays are full of fun, they can also be quite stressful. Thanks for sharing these amazing tips. Everyone can use these tips. Keep sharing.
Hello. Thanks for such an informative and really helpful article. I think this information needs to be disseminated much more, it can help many people who are under stress. This Christmas wasn’t as calm as before for us although before, Christmas in our family was very cozy and fun. Maybe it’s because of such a difficult year. Now it seems to me that after the holidays we urgently need a vacation in order to really relax. Thanks for your great advice.
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