8 Tips For A Stress-Free Holiday Season

The holidays are the best time of year, right?

Well actually, yes and no for many people.

No matter what holiday you celebrate or what month it falls in, what is universal about celebrating important dates and events is that celebration and stress often go hand-in-hand.

As a child you do not realize why all the adults (especially mothers) are so anxious about large family dinners and gift giving. You think it is a wonderful time to see and play with extended family.

As you age and you inevitably accept the responsibility of hosting or assisting in hosting some sort of celebration, you realize how much work is involved! It is truly exhausting.

What is good to know, however, is that you are not alone and there are ways to decrease your stress!

Keep reading for tips for a stress-free holiday season! You might decide to practise a few and see how it goes!

Plan

This step seems obvious but it is often overlooked!

I know that I have run to the local department store on Christmas Eve to purchase stocking stuffers for my family and it was an awful experience. There were so many people rushing around and too many cars on the road!

Do not be like I was that year and plan ahead instead!

Identify well in advance what you want your holiday to look like and what the necessary steps are to get you to that ideal celebration!

Pre-plan what you will do if anxiety or stress occurs. I know that if I feel stressed or anxious I have a plan to escape for a bit of exercise.

This is how I take care of those feelings. What does your plan for managing stress look like if it comes up?

Delegate

Please stop feeling like you have to do everything for everyone as soon as possible!

Many people may feel that they have to prepare all of the meal and the desserts and wrap the presents.

This is unrealistic and not fair to yourself and your mental health.

Ask for help. Sure, you can cook the turkey, but someone else can bake the pies!

As you plan for your holiday, delegate who will help you with what jobs!

Don’t Be A Perfectionist

This may be the toughest strategy of them all to adhere to.

Typically we feel inclined to spend the holidays with people we love and we want it to be an enjoyable experience for them. This may prompt us to feel we have to make a perfect holiday celebration for them and for us! Perhaps you are looking for the perfect Instagram photo to capture this celebration.

Stop!

Working for this level of perfection is a recipe for stress and anxiety.

Allow the holiday to be as it will be, imperfections and all. These often make for the best stories.

For example, I have heard the story about how a wife hosted her husband’s family for Thanksgiving their first year of marriage and forgot the stuffing hundreds of times. Looking back now, nobody cares that the stuffing was missing!

Holding yourself to such high standards can make you feel sick and you will not be as present for the holiday as you would like to.

Don’t Feel You Must Meet Everybody Else’s Expectations

You need to stop doing things just because you feel like you have to.

This is very common, especially for young people.

During the holidays we spend time with people or go to events that we do not want to or that do not feel safe for us because it is “tradition” or because it makes our family feel good.

At the end of the day, your health and wellness is what matters. Be willing to stop doing things that do not feel comfortable and honour yourself and where you are at.

If attempting to make another dessert for that party will push you over the edge, purchase a dessert to bring instead.

If you never wanted to host a dinner party, ask someone else to host.

Be honest about what you are and are not able to do. Nobody will fault you for honesty if they love and respect you!

Don’t Be Afraid To Say No

This is very closely aligned with stopping doing things when you feel like you have to.

Sometimes we cannot even entertain ideas. We have to just say no to them. Your holiday time with family or friends may be limited.

Only say yes to what matters and what you love!

Maintain Your Exercise Routines

Do not fall victim to the common promise you make to yourself that you will pick up exercising again after the holidays are over!

Exercise increases hormones in the body that make you feel good! They also help you to manage the stress and anxiety that the holidays can bring you.

You should try to stick to whatever exercise routine that you maintain. For example, the family of a friend of mine knows that she will always run on Thanksgiving morning and Christmas morning. They can celebrate afterwards when she feels most comfortable and least amount of anxiety because she has already got her run in!

If you lift weights, walk your dog, swim, or attend a group class, keep doing it! Your body and your mind will thank you.

Practise Deep Breathing

Checking in with your body and how it is doing is essential during these potentially stressful times!

Learn some deep breathing techniques if you do not already do this.

Conscious and mindful breathing is a way that we refocus the body and regulate ourselves when we feel stress and anxiety levels rise. It is an intentional way to treat the body with kindness and respect.

We may begin to feel the “freeze, flight, or fight” reactions that come with stress around the holidays and breathing is a way of quieting this and reminding our body that it does not have to react so strongly and that we are okay!

Watch Your Spending

This is an easy to overlook strategy!

It is common to spend more money during the holidays that you celebrate than at other times. You buy gifts for your loved ones and more food and perhaps alcohol than normal. You may be traveling or spending more money in gas. It adds up quick!

Overspending may prolong the stress and anxiety that the holidays bring, however. You do not want to be checking your account a few weeks after the holidays to realize that you spent more than you planned on and now have to try to rearrange how you plan to pay your bills.

So when you are preparing for the holiday season, set a realistic limit for yourself and try to stick to it as much as possible! Your future self will thank you!

Conclusion

What steps will you take to make your holiday less stressful?

You may practise one or all of these strategies and find what works best for you. Either way, try to enjoy your friends, family, and time as much as possible and know that when you begin to feel stressed, there are ways to calm down if you practise!

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Deep Breathing Exercises