Managing Holiday Stress: Make You a Priority
According to a survey done by VeryWell Mind, 80% of us will find the holiday season somewhat or very stressful. There are so many different components of the holidays that need to come together and it is easy to feel stressed out about paying for gifts, holiday shopping, and the in-laws to name a few.
Many people find that the stress builds up during the holidays because they just have too much on their plates and they work too hard to make this time perfect and magically. Letting go of a few things and focusing on what is the most important can help prevent burnout and gives you time to relax. Making yourself a priority will also help you enjoy the holidays more than before. Some of the best ways that you can reduce holiday stress and make yourself a priority includes:
Learn to Say No
Once the holiday season gets near, you will find that the invitations will start coming in like crazy. You will have school activities, meetings with friends, work parties, and family gatherings. The fear of missing out can make it so you want to accept every invitation, which adds a lot of work to your plate. Care for yourself a bit by intentionally declining some of the holiday events, freeing up some of your time and giving you and your family some downtime rather than running around like crazy every day.
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. Whether you or your spouse, or both, end up overspending during the holidays, it is time to sit down and come up with a budget that you can stick with. No matter what, do not go off the budget or you will feel constantly stressed out and it will hit its peak when December 26th comes around.
Turn Off the Social Media
Social media is great at making you feel inadequate and like you are failing. Things get even worse during the holidays when everyone is trying to compete to have the best Thanksgiving or Christmas possible. Instead of stressing out about what is posted online, turn off the social media and only look at it on occasion. Focus on your own family and the traditions you think are the most important, ignoring what everyone else is doing.
Do Something for Yourself
You spend so much time making the holidays perfect for everyone else, it is time to do something for yourself. Turn on a hot bath and shut everyone out for an evening. Do some exercise to release the feel-good hormones into the brain to keep you moving. Go out with some friends and have a nice cup of coffee. You can choose what you would like to do, but make sure it is completely for you and not for someone else. This could be a good time to check out The Rest Down and Restore Retreat with Aileen Judson on November 24. For more information and to register, go to www.northernarizonawellness.com/book-a-class .
Set Boundaries
Whether it is a boundary to keep certain family members away or setting expectations for which conversations can come into your home and around the kids, it is okay to set boundaries during the holidays. You shouldn’t have to stress out about the little things during the holidays and letting others know the boundaries, and sticking with them, can help.
At some point during the holidays, you will feel some stress. Taking a break from the craziness of the holidays and taking care of yourself will help you avoid the burnout and can decrease the amount of stress you feel.
