7 Tips for Managing Holiday Stress

The holidays are a time for connecting with family, sharing gifts, engaging in gratitude, and enjoying the cheer of the holiday season. For many of us though, late November through early January can elicit many mixed feelings and prove stressful amidst the holiday cheer. Maybe you are stressed about travel, gifting, hosting, long days with extended family, the long break from school, or anything else this season may bring up for you. This is why I have compiled 7 of my most useful tips for managing stress this holiday season:

1. Eat breakfast and lunch: Oftentimes if we have a big holiday meal coming up later in the day, sometimes we feel the urge to restrict ourselves throughout the day to “save up.” Although this may be the norm in many families, it makes your holiday less enjoyable and promotes negative eating behaviors. If you are hungry all day, you likely will be more irritable, physically uncomfortable, and unable to connect with those around us in the way you want to! In addition, food restriction inevitably leads to overeating, which may leave you uncomfortable and grumpy following the meal. In order to feel your best at your holiday gathering, remember to eat foods you love throughout the day!
2. A.L.T. skill: Holidays can sometimes put us in situations where we have to endure individuals or circumstances that frustrate us. My tip for you is to H.A.L.T before you react! H.A.L.T is an acronym for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. Before you react or engage, I urge you to take a pause and check on these things. Make sure you are getting enough food and sleep, connecting with those who make you feel loved (even if that means stepping away from family and calling a friend for support), and processing through your anger throughout stressful times. This will set you up to engage with others in a way that feels most aligned with your values and goals.
3. Outsource what you can: If you are hosting this holiday season, remember you are NOT a bad host, parent, or friend for not doing everything from scratch. The main goal of the holiday season is to connect with loved ones, and you deserve to do so as well! If you don’t want to, you don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen cooking and cleaning for everyone, even if that is how you have done it before. If this historically causes you stress, cater some of your meal or ask guests to bring some items!
4. Don’t overcommit yourself: Will It be overwhelming for you to attend every white elephant or holiday party you are invited to this season? Ask yourself this honestly. Having an overly busy calendar can cause financial stress, exhaustion, and might hinder you from actually enjoying the season. You also do not want to abandon time for yourself! Prioritize the gatherings and activities that are most important for you to attend those events. Saying no can be challenging but may save you in in the long run!
5. Set a budget, and stick to it!: If finances are tight this year, remove some of the stress of gifting by setting an overall gifting budget. You are not a bad parent or friend if you are unable to provide loved ones with extravagant and expensive gifts. There are many other ways to show your love and appreciation!
6. Take time to grieve – if necessary: Although the holidays for many are cheerful and full of joy, they can also be a time when we are reminded of loss. Maybe are unable to spend the holiday with loved ones, experienced a loss this year, or have family relationships that are struggling. Feeling sadness or grief about this is OK and totally normal. Take time for yourself to process these feelings in whatever way feels best for you – maybe that is journaling, talking to a friend, or making time for an appointment with a therapist at Family Therapy Center of Bethesda or Fairwinds Counseling Group.
7. Manage expectations: If you have an expectation that your holiday is going to be perfect, then you will probably be let down. Odds are, someone will burn a pie, someone will be running late, someone will be arguing about politics, or something might totally just not go as planned. This does not mean that your holiday is ruined! Walk into the day with reasonable expectations, control what you can control, and soak in the happy moments that come your way.

Hopefully these tips will help you have a joyful, not stressful, holiday season!