“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
For many people, the holiday season is a happy and joyous time spent celebrating with family and friends. But this time of year can also be very stressful. The holidays can be overwhelming, tiring, financially draining, and full of mixed emotions.
There’s just so much to do in so little time! Decorating and cleaning the house, planning meals for family and friends, shopping for gifts, hiding presents, creating memories, spreading traditions, dealing with family that you don’t see during the rest of the year (sometimes for good reason), and so on.
Just thinking about it is enough to start feeling overwhelmed. During the holidays we are often surrounded with social media images of people who are happy, in love, and seemingly thriving. When what we feel doesn’t match the images we see around us or live up to our own ideals, it can exacerbate existing daily pressures and stress.
So, if the sudden appearance of pumpkin spice, Christmas music, and a plethora of gift wrap evoke feelings of anxiety, sadness, or panic, you are not alone!
Here are some tips for thriving during the holidays with as little stress as possible:
1. Let Go of the Need to Be Perfect
“Perfect” does not exist. The sooner you accept that fact, the happier you’ll be. Striving for perfection will only leave you feeling frustrated, inadequate, and unhappy. Keep that in mind while reading the rest of these tips. Don’t feel like you have to implement all of these strategies. Choose a few that you believe will help you get through the season with a little less stress and give them a try!
2. Plan ahead
Planning ahead is one of the best ways to avoid becoming overwhelmed during the holidays. Make a list of situations that caused you stress last year. Maybe you took on too many responsibilities for your child’s holiday play. Or visiting a certain family member caused tension. Or you agreed to attend too many events. Once you have identified a few of the more stressful moments of the holidays, you can plan how to approach them, possibly using some of the strategies below to get through them with less stress and emotional pain.
Some easy things that you can plan ahead for include: setting a budget, sending out holiday cards at the beginning or middle of December, making a shopping list and buying a few gifts off it each week, planning out your holiday dishes early, writing out a “script” for dealing with difficult relatives, etc.
3. But Don’t Make Too Many Plans
It can be difficult to turn down party invites and requests to visit but if you make too many commitments, it will make the time you spend with loved ones less enjoyable. You will be rushing around trying to squeeze in so many events that you will not have fun at any of them. Plan for only for what you’re able to do while still leaving plenty of time for self-care, loved ones, and relaxation.
4. Do only one thing at a time
Multitasking seems like a good idea since by working on more than one task at once, you can theoretically be more productive. But multitasking actually hurts productivity and increases stress! Instead, focus your entire attention on doing one thing from your plan now. Doing just one thing allows you to feel more accomplished, productive, and gives you time to slow down in the midst of all the chaos.
5. Be Generous, but know your limits
Some people turn the holidays into a competition. They go way over budget and take on too much simply to impress others or make themselves appear to have a “perfect” life. This is particularly pervasive due to social media. Sure, give as much as you can but don’t try to spend tons of money trying to impress people, especially those that you don’t even care about or talk to. Trust me: it’ll save you loads of stress.
6. Find your special meaning in the season
Find or reconnect to a purpose, meaning, or value during the holiday season. Schedule some memorable activities into your day. Do some volunteer work or donate to a charity. Make a new holiday tradition or get reacquainted with one from your childhood. If you’re grieving a lost a loved one and the holidays are too painful, consider creating something lasting to keep them in your memory.
8. Focus on gratitude
Adopt an attitude of gratitude and you’ll begin to thrive during this holiday season. It is easy to fall into the comparison trap by focusing on what other people do and have. When we do this we lose sight of life’s blessings. Focus on the good. Get off social media. Try to be grateful for what you were able to do this season and be grateful for the gifts you are able to give and receive.
9. Practice relaxation techniques
If you are prone to anxiety or panic during the holiday season, it is vital to implement relaxation practice into your daily routine. The quickest and easiest way to help regulate your feelings of stress is to focus on your breathing. Not only does it calm anxiety, it also helps you get more oxygen to the brain so you can think more clearly and feel more in control of your emotional response. It is important to practice relaxation techniques well before you are experiencing anxiety so that it will be second nature for when you need to use them to calm down.
To practice deep breathing lie on your back, breathing evenly and gently. Focus your attention on your breath coming in and out. Place your hand on your stomach and feel the movement of your breath. As you breathe in and out, allow your stomach to rise and fall. Exhale your breath fully, pushing all the air out of your lungs. Continue for 10 breaths or as long as you need.
I hope you have a Happy and Stress-Free Holiday Season!
Learn more about how therapy helps with managing stress: 5 Ways Therapists Help Their Clients Overcome Stress
Learn more about self-care: 10 Ways To Practice Self-care (that won't cost a thing)!
Learn more about therapy: The Truth about Psychotherapy: Confronting Ten Common Misconceptions
IF YOU’D LIKE TO TALK TO A PROFESSIONAL WHO HAS HELPED OTHERS OVERCOME THEIR STRESS AND FIND ACTIONABLE WAYS TO REACH THEIR GOALS, WE WELCOME YOU TO CALL US. WE’D LOVE TO HELP YOU TOO.