5 Ways to Manage Holiday Stress
Welcome to the most magical (and stressful) time of the year! It is the holiday season!
According to a poll done on VeryWell Mind, 80% of us will find the holiday season somewhat or very stressful. That is a lot of people feeling the holiday stress. That’s not so much a wonderful time of year.
There are so many different aspects of the holidays that need to come together and it is easy to feel stressed out about paying for gifts, holiday shopping, and family members to name a few things that add to holiday stress.
Many people find that the stress builds up during the holidays because they have too much on their plates along with the expectations to be cheerful all.the.time. Oh and make this the most magical time of the year for everyone around you. All that pressure leads to more holiday stress.
Letting go of a few things and focusing on what is the most important can help prevent stress burnout and gives you time to relax.
Making yourself a priority will also help you enjoy the holidays more than before. Remember, stressing yourself out isn’t going to be very merry or bright for anyone.
There are ways that you can still make this a magical time but with less stress.
Here are 5 ways to get you started managing holiday stress.
Learn to Say No
Once the holiday season is upon us it seems like a never ending wave of extra invitations. School activities, meetings with friends, work parties, family gatherings, more cooking, more cleaning, more of everything. I’m worn out just reading all those! We don’t want to let anyone down so we take on more and more.
What we might forget is that we are also a part of those people we need to not let down. Saying no is a big step in the right direction. Show yourself love and care by intentionally declining some of the holiday events. For example, I bet your friends are also feeling the frenzy. Suggest a post new year get together instead.
Free up some of your time and give you and your family some downtime rather than going to all the things and stressing out more.
Make a Budget
One area that can cause a lot of stress during the holidays is money. Nothing can make you feel worse than blowing your budget and not having a lot left at the end of the season.
If you are one to overspend during the holidays, it is time to sit down and come up with a budget that you can stick with. Money stress is a huge issue this time of year.
While it may feel good at the moment to splurge on an extra present or two, when December 26th rolls around you feel the sting of having spent that money.
Instead, make a list of those extra somethings you wanted to get and use them for a birthday or splurge gift at another time during the year.
Step Away From Social Media
Social media is great at making us feel inadequate and like we are failing. Every once in awile we need to take a break.
There is the ever present desire to compete to have the best of everything, especially around the holidays.
Take the pressure off yourself by putting your device away and staying away from social media.
Ask yourself, would you rather try to impress some 5th cousin once removed who is 900 miles away or be present with your family or friends who are close to you?
Do Something for Yourself
You spend so much time making the holidays perfect for everyone else, you deserve some time to yourself. Your mental health is just as important as those around you.
Taking time for yourself when there is so much to do can lead to feelings of guilt. However, if you laid up sick or yelling at everyone because you are so stressed out, how is that going to make the holiday joyous?
Figure out some things that actually feel good to you. Maybe it is having a coffee with a friend or even alone. Maybe it is indulging in an hour of your favorite show.
You decide what it is that you need and make that happen for you.
Communicate
When we get going 90 miles an hour to make the holidays cheerful, we may forget to communicate with others. But communication is even more important at this time of year.
Let people know what you have planned, what you still need to do and what they can do to help. Ask for help if you need it.
Letting everyone around you know what you need and what your expectations are will lighten your mental load and get everyone on the same page.
These are our top 5 ways to manage holiday stress.
While this time of year is all about cheer, warm fuzzies and the people we love, at some point, you will feel some holiday stress. Taking a break from the zaniness of the holidays and taking care of yourself will help you avoid the burnout and can decrease the amount of stress you feel.