We are getting into the holiday season which means things are naturally going to become more stressful. Around the holidays, there is increased pressure to attend events, offer gifts to friends and family. There is opportunities for excessive spending if we aren’t careful. The holidays will never be completely stress free, but here are a few tips to help you feel more grounded during this busy time.
Read more: 5 Tips on How to Reduce Anxiety Before a Stressful Event
Stay organized
Planning ahead and maintaining an updated schedule can help you stay on top of recurring events as well as extra holiday commitments and parties. There is so much happening around the holidays, including more obligations and opportunities to split your time. In addition to keeping a schedule, one way to have less stress around this time is to complete tasks (especially stressful, complex tasks) in advance. Not only will completing assignments ahead of time make room for last-minute invitations, but you will feel a significant sense of accomplishment and satisfaction checking important things off your “To Do” list. You may find you have more free time and feel less stress about additional invitations. Just ask anyone who completed their holiday shopping early and they can tell you, it is a good pro-tip! It is unlikely the holidays will be completely stress free, but keeping an organized schedule and completing tasks early can help reduce feeling overwhelmed and overbooked.
Make time for yourself and keep those appointments
Maintain the same level of commitment to yourself as you would friends, family, or coworkers. Try not to neglect any self-care practice you maintain at other times of the year. If you have a gym membership or attend yoga classes, continue your regular practice. Our minds are less stressed out when we follow a routine and have time to decompress. Be sure to schedule a time to rest and recover after a full week to recharge and prepare for the next busy sprint. If self-care is difficult for you at other points in the year, try scheduling it in your calendar the way you would any other important event. Make sure to keep the appointment. Managing stress during the holidays will be essential to staying on top of the constantly changing “To Do’s” and last minute events. We all wish the holidays were stress free. However, when that isn’t possible self-care is a powerful tool to maintain your energy and feel better.
Say “NO”
Give yourself permission to decline invitations that do not nourish you. A strong sense of obligation is a large factor of increased stress, anxiety, and low mood during the holidays. Maintaining boundaries can be difficult, but the more we practice, the better and more confident we become. Another way to reduce stress is to avoid events if you relate to them as obligations rather than rewards. Be honest with yourself and others about your limits and be okay with saying no to a party invitation or cocktail hour. This also models to friends and family that setting boundaries can and should be an option in maintaining important relationships. You wouldn’t want a friend coming to something only out of obligation, so why would you do the same?
The holidays are, first and foremost, an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the company of those we love. To reduce stress around this time do your best to maintain a calendar, do things in advance whenever possible, stick to your self-care routine, and give yourself permission to say no. These tips can help you organize and arrange for your holidays to be as stress-free as possible.
What are your go-to strategies for having a stress free holiday season?
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5 comments
Love all these great tips! I personally really like the idea of making time for myself and keeping my routine even throughout the holiday season, including self-care, exercising and having some ‘me time’.
These are great tips! I think saying “no” is particularly difficult for a lot of people during the holidays, but it is so important for keeping the season enjoyable. I also think, for those who don’t spend holidays with their families, that creating new traditions with oneself or one’s friends helps to keep it from being a time of feeling left out, which can be stressful in a different way. Thanks for writing this, Cate!
So many great tips on this blog! My own personal favorite and go to strategy for having a stress free holiday is staying organized. I think keeping a to-do list and having your events marked in your calendar is a very easy and doable strategy for managing everything including the stress of the holidays.
Great blog thanks Cate! I love all your points but especially self care at a time when the holidays means what we do for others. I feel a small thing we do for ourselves goes a long way. Thanks for the reminder.
This is so helpful, Cate! I really like the staying organized tip, as it truly does keep you focused and decreases stress and anxiety. For me, I monitor my self-care routine, the holidays can easily interfere with that. Thanks for posting this.