When the hustle and bustle of the holidays increases so does the amount of stress that people must deal with. Juggling work, family, holiday shopping and events can be difficult. Not to mention that there are always some unexpected things that happen. Although the holidays are supposed to bring happiness and joy, it can be easy to become overwhelmed with all the responsibilities and it is important to engage in self-care.
Here are some helpful tips for reducing holiday stress.:
Talk It Out: Holidays can be difficult for some and bring up a lot of emotions. Whether its sadness/grief due to missing a loved one or feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities, it is important to talk to someone about your feelings and not keep them in.
Schedule self-care time: It does not have to be an entire day or even an hour. You can engage in self-care for 15 minutes by just taking the time to sit down and breathe. Some examples of short self-care activities are meditating, going for a short walk, or sitting down for a cup of tea.
Get Enough Sleep: If you are not sleeping well, the likelihood of your stress increasing is high! This also increases the likelihood of becoming sick and nobody needs that during the holidays.
Set Boundaries: It’s okay to say no to things that you don’t want to do. You don’t need to go to all the holiday parties or potlucks if that is creating stress for you.
Set aside time for enjoyable activities: the Holidays should not only be about eating (yummy) food and buying gifts. Make sure that you are also setting time aside to create new traditions & engage in a new activity such as going to look at holiday lights or watching holiday movies.
Ask for help: We all need a little help occasionally. Don’t hesitate to ask for it when you need it. Most people are happy to help you and give you support.
Some holiday traditions that I enjoy and help me manage my stress include having a Christmas movie-thon. Home Alone 1 & 2 are my favorite holiday movies; Elf is a close second! Also, I find joy in baking cookies with my sister & nephew and listening to Christmas music while wearing some comfy Christmas Pjs.
Hopefully these tips will help you better manage your stress & make the holidays more enjoyable.
