Eight Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress

Tips to overcome holiday stress.

All those gleeful songs, cheery commercials and sparkles in the eye can paint the perfect picture of holiday happiness. But what happens when your tinsel gets tangled, leaving you feeling stressed and down-right frustrated?

The first thing to do is realize that stress and anxiety are completely normal around the holidays. Yes, the holidays can be emotionally trying. But we have some tips to support your whole health body, mind and spirit.

Top Holiday Stress-Culprits

1. Unmet Expectations

One of the biggest culprits for stress is ones unmet expectations; if your expectations are high and you don't achieve them, you can get stressed out or unhappy.

For example, if your expectation is for your family to all get along this year with no arguments, but this has been an issue in the past, this might not be a realistic mindset. So, set expectations that are appropriate and based on the past, what you know about yourself and your personal limitations.

2. Pressure to be Happy

There's a lot of pressure in our culture and the media that the holidays are this perceived happy, joyful time for everyone, where we all are grateful and thankful for what we have, but the holidays can also be a reminder of what we don't have, like not having enough money, the family or partner you wanted, a particular relationship with a family member unfortunately, the holidays can spark reflection around what is missing in your life, which can be sad. It's okay to let yourself feel sad for a moment. The key is to shift your outlook and focus on what you do have to feel more optimistic.

3. Reminders of Loss

The holidays can be a time where people are hyper-aware of emotional difficulties, such as a loved one not being there because they passed away. If one hasn't grieved completely or is experiencing a loneliness or loss of any kind, the holidays could be an opportunity for unattended emotional issues to surface in the conscious mind. If you feel a sense of loss, reach out to a supportive person in your life to talk through your feelings, journal or connect with your faith for strength.

How to Know When the Stress is Too Much

One of the most important things you can do is check in with yourself frequently and identify your feelings. One way to do this is mindfulness. By heightening your awareness of your internal feelings, you can better acknowledge and manage them.

If stress or sadness are affecting your life, causing you to fall behind in meeting your daily responsibilities, argue with your partner frequently or spend too much money, these are red flags that your stress could be affecting your wellness and life functioning. And if this becomes your reality, its recommended to not delay in talking to your doctor and seeking help.

Tips for Managing Holiday Stress

In addition to setting realistic expectations around the holidays and checking in with your emotions, here are some additional exercises to keep your body, mind and spirit in balance.

1. Mindful Breathing

There are specific techniques, but in general, mindful breathing involves taking some quiet time to refocus on yourself and your body through breathing. You inhale for a period of time, hold your breath and then exhale for longer than you inhaled. You can do this consistently until you feel calmer. This is a proven way to calm your body and mind.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation helps you to be mindful of your body. It involves taking a moment to scan your entire body (head to toe), checking in with each area to feel where there is tension or discomfort. This is a way of checking in with your body to find areas where you can release some tension so it doesn't have to physically carry the stress. You can also do yoga or stretching exercises to help reduce stress, release tension and support the body-mind connection.

3. Meditation

Mindfulness is like a muscle in your brain; the more you use it the stronger it gets, and it even eventually happens automatically. Meditation is one way to train your brain to be in a calmer, more present state. If you practice some meditation using some guided apps or an exercise you develop on your own you can master your mindfulness and be prepared for the holidays.

4. Planning

When you plan, you have a greater sense of control. Planning allows you to get better at setting boundaries for yourself and others as well. Around the holidays, many people have expectations for you, whether it's attending a party or family gathering. Knowing that it's okay to say no and do less is important.

If your plan and to do list is a mile long, that's your signal to make adjustments for your own health and well-being. Make self-care a priority its okay to be selfless and give back to your health, and if you have to walk away from a triggering conversation, leave a party early or decline an invitation, it's okay to do that because your wellness matters.

5. Practicing Gratitude

When we are mindless and stressed out, it's easy to forget what we are grateful for, but gratitude is an effective anecdote for stress and depression. Practice gratitude by taking just one minute a day to write down all of the things of which you are appreciative of or grateful for. This helps refocus your mind on the positive things that you have in your life.

6. Being Present

Take moments to be present around the holidays. You can do this anywhere and anytime. Focus all of your attention on something positive; it could be speaking to a family member, making cookies, or even holiday shopping, but try not to let other thoughts and stressors affect that moment in time.

7. Having Support

If it's hard for you to be around a family member or friend, or the holidays bring a sense of discomfort, make sure you have a support system around you. Have a friend ready to text or call, or someone who can help you through what will be emotionally uncomfortable.

8. Realizing that your holiday stress is normal

It is very normal to experience some stress around the holidays you are not alone. If we all walked around with stress meters over our heads, you'd see just about everyone's meter giving off higher-than-normal stress levels.

Sometimes, people can take on shame identity, that they can't handle the seasonal stress like others, or that there is something wrong with them. While the holidays are a time to reflect and set goals to make personal improvements, it's also a time to be kind to yourself.

And if you need a little extra support, our whole-health experts can help. Call Call855-303-DOCS today find the whole-health specialists to support you.