Between cooking, hosting, or spending time with family, the holidays aren’t always as joyful as commercials make them out to be. You may have complicated relationships with relatives or hosting a large holiday party, which can make it hard to fully enjoy the holidays. These are all stressful feelings that can add up and become overwhelming. Here are some holiday stress tips to help you overcome these common obstacles.
What Causes Holiday Stress?
There are multiple contributing factors to stress, particularly around the holidays. You may feel worried about seeing certain family members or being in charge of planning. Whatever the case may be, it should be emphasized that holiday stress is is common and happens to the best of us!
Specifically for people in the United States, finances and family responsibilities are among the most frequent holiday stressors. With the number of traditions, expectations, and memories around this time of year, a lot of this can become extremely overwhelming. It could also be possible that you recently lost a loved one, making the holidays difficult to celebrate to their fullest extent.
You might be surprised by how your body reacts to stress during the holiday season. When you’re experiencing so many overwhelming emotions at once, this can take a negative toll on your physical health as well, including feelings of fatigue.
How to Manage Holiday Stress
As difficult as it may appear to overcome holiday stressors, there are ways that you can prevent these feelings from spiraling out of control.
Recognize Your Feelings
The first step is to identify your triggers and recognize your feelings. Think about what triggers negative thoughts. Do you know of specific actions or situations that immediately put you on edge? How do you typically address these triggers? Practicing certain coping strategies, such as mindfulness, can help you feel grounded during the holiday season. The next step is to acknowledge and recognize your feelings. For example, if you know you’re grieving a recently passed loved one, it’s important to let those emotions come out.
There’s often an expectation of joy and happiness around the holidays, but you don’t have to confine yourself to those feelings. Make sure to put yourself first so that you feel prepared to spend time with others. Also, if these emotions do come out around your family, never let yourself or others make you feel shameful about them. Your feelings are valid, and it’s important to nourish them when they appear.
Read More: How to Start a Self-Care Routine
Seek Support
Don’t isolate yourself around the holidays if you’re beginning to feel a lot of emotions. Remind yourself that people do love you and want to try and help. Consider spending some time with a support group, friends, or a spiritual mentor. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking about these feelings with someone you know, reach out to a counselor or medical professional. You may even find comfort in helping others by volunteering or participating in a community holiday event.
Set Boundaries
As mentioned previously, there can be a lot of intense expectations around the holiday season. The fact of the matter is that you’re only one person and won’t be able to do everything. Thus, saying “no” and declining some events can free up some time to practice your own self-care routine . In other words, prioritize the things that truly bring you happiness around the holidays and be okay with saying “no” to others that will make you feel stressed. For example, if a boundary-crossing family member approaches you with an invitation to one of their holiday parties, you are absolutely allowed to respectfully decline the offer.
Try to Plan Ahead
Although it can be hard to predict every little detail surrounding the holiday season, you can prevent excessive amounts of stress by planning for what you know. Some examples include making food or baked goods ahead of time. When traveling to see relatives, consider potential obstacles like traffic or weather conditions.
For work-related responsibilities, try to get your tasks completed before the holiday season, so you don’t feel swamped when you return. This can also allow you to simply enjoy your time off without worrying about what you’ll need to complete when you return to work. If you feel like it may be helpful, consider creating a holiday to-do list with the most important tasks at the top.
Take Care of Yourself
Taking care of your mental health during the holidays is incredibly important. It is also valuable to remember that physical and mental wellness coincides with each other. If you know that you tend to feel overwhelmed around the holidays, make sure you’re taking care of yourself. This includes eating 3 full meals a day, drinking plenty of water from a water bottle, and sleeping at least 7-8 hours a night. Try to squeeze in at least 30 minutes of comfortable physical activity and see if you can take the time to practice relaxation techniques.
Choose Kindness and Empathy
If you’re feeling stressed around the holidays, you’re likely not the only one. Pair this with potential familial disagreements and conflicts are bound to arise. Thus, instead of adding fuel to the fire, try to choose kindness during these moments. You can’t control how other people handle stress, but you can choose how to handle it yourself. Try to set differences aside around the holidays and practice empathy when or if these situations arise.
