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The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also be a time that heightens stress and depression. That being said, we have designed this guide to show you how to relieve holiday stress. According to a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), the holidays are a stressful time for the majority of people because of a variety of reasons, including intensified focus on family, productivity and finances. Besides, it is found that women are more likely than men to have “holiday blues” or feelings of sadness from holiday stress. It is almost impossible to not feel tension when you’re trying to juggle lots of tasks within a very limited timeframe. To help you enjoy a more stress-free holiday season, we’ve put together some information about the most common sources of holiday stressors, along with recommendations to help you find meaningful ways for managing holiday stress.
Take a look at some common drivers of stress and recommended holiday stress-management tips.
Circle of Joy by Karidy Walker
1. Avoid overcommitting yourself
2. Set priorities
3. Create a spending budget
4. Exercise
5. Get more natural light exposure
6. Avoid perfection
7. Seek professional help
8. Stop worrying
9. Create wishlists
10. Skip the gifts
11. Manage your kids’ holiday stress
Preparation for the holidays often comes with a long to-do list — taking holiday card photos, stocking up on gift wrapping supplies, going gift shopping, figuring out your holiday budget, decorating the Christmas tree, planning holiday parties and getting the house ready before guests arrive. Depending on how meticulous people are in their holiday preparations, things can get busy even before October hits. Though you might want to maximize your time during the holidays to do as much as you can, the reality is that there is just not enough time in the day for everything. And by overcommitting yourself to too many things, you can end up experiencing an increase in your sense of duty and burden, which causes mental stress. Without moderation and sufficient breaks, these tasks can easily become like chores and provoke feelings of disorientation and holiday stress.
To avoid a swamped schedule, you need to set priorities and appropriate expectations. You only have 24 hours in each day, and with a job, kids, house chores and other personal engagements, the amount of time you have to actually plan and fulfill a comprehensive holiday to-do list is limited. Tips for managing stress during the holidays must include limiting your task quota. Rather than trying to accomplish too much and setting yourself up for failure, you should be realistic and ask yourself, “What are my top three priorities for this holiday season?” Perhaps these include hosting a warm dinner for close family members, purchasing gifts for each of your loved ones or planning a trip out-of-town with the kids. No matter what it is, try to minimize your priorities and allocate time and resources around those select things. On top of that, try using a planner to organize your tasks so they are not all in your head, which is how to relieve stress during the holidays without feeling like you’re missing out on the fun.
Here are some tips to avoid holiday stress by helping you form realistic holiday commitments:
The holiday season usually comes with large cash outputs. According to eMarketer, Americans spent more than $1 trillion during the 2018 holiday season, the strongest growth since 2011. The increase in holiday consumption has to do with low unemployment, rapid income growth and high consumer confidence. In terms of consumer level spending, the National Retail Federation says that winter holidays have the highest average planned spending per person ($1007.24) throughout the year. Without proper budgeting, many people end up with credit card debts and a smaller disposable income for self-care, which can lead to unhealthy emotions.
Here is a step-by-step guide to show you how to beat holiday stress by figuring out your budget for the holiday season
1. Come up with your holiday expenses list
First of all, sit down and list all the holiday expenses you will have. This might include items such as gifts and gift-wrapping supplies, holiday cards, holiday decorations, travel expenses, holiday dinner parties and donations to charities. Log them on a spreadsheet, journal or whatever medium you find most convenient.
2. Set the limit
Once you have your list of potential expenses, move onto examining your disposable income and savings, then determine the amount you feel comfortable spending. It is always tempting to be overly generous during the holidays, so try to remain realistic and honest about your financial situation and only spend the money you have.
3. Allocate money
Now you can start categorizing your expenses into several buckets. Their labels might look something like this: Christmas Dinner, Gifts for Family, Gifts for Friends, Gift Exchange at Work, Holiday Travel, House Decor etc. Then, you should do a little bit of thinking and prioritization, and assign a set amount to each of these categories. The money allocation serves as a limit to prevent you from overspending.
Pattern Play by Seven Swans
4. Track your Expenses
Once you have your expenses planned, categorized and allocated, you can do the fun part — shop! As you begin shopping, make sure to keep all the receipts and log each item on a budget sheet. Frequently return to the sheet and evaluate your spending patterns. Most importantly, make sure to stick to the budget.
Some other helpful holiday-stress-management tips to ensure that you keep your holiday spending under budget:
Another cause of holiday stress has to do with the change of seasons. According to Mayo Clinic definitions, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a category of depression that starts around the beginning of autumn and lasts throughout the winter season when there is less natural sunlight. Many who suffer from SAD experience their energy being depleted and a moodier emotional state. Here are some of the signs and symptoms:
Though it is hard to quantify how much SAD actually contributes to holiday stress, it is helpful to have it in the back of your head as you try to diagnose the causes of your frazzledness and find stress relief during the holidays.
Here are some constructive ways you can try to combat SAD and additional ideas on managing holiday stress:
Regular exercise is a simple-yet-powerful way to alleviate SAD symptoms during the cold winter months. Try to implement a regular cadence in your schedule to run a mile or bike around the neighborhood. In fact, when the body is in an active mode, the brain activates a type of chemical called endorphins, which interacts with the brain receptors to reduce the perception of pain. Another thing that this chemical does is to generate a positive feeling, which causes the people who are exercising to feel energized and uplifted, which further boosts self-esteem.
Increasing your body’s exposure to natural light helps alleviate SAD symptoms by regulating the rhythm of the body and the mind. You can do simple things, such as opening up the blinds or curtains more frequently and taking on strolls during the daytime. We know that daylight tends to be more limited during the winter months, so another way to combat this is to utilize light therapy. This is typically done via a light box that gives off light rays mimicking natural light. You may place the box close to where you usually sit or work, and make sure to not stare at it directly to minimize damages or irritation to the eyes.
One of the easiest holiday-stress-relieving tips we’ve found is sniffing citrus oil. Research indicates lemon and orange fragrances can boost levels of norepinephrine, a hormone that affects mood. Dab a little citrus essential on your wrist or a handkerchief for a quick hit of wellbeing that mitigates holiday stress.
A plant extract called 5-HTP that’s available in capsules at many drugstores can help increase serotonin levels, reduce feelings of anxiety and improve sleep. And getting a sound 40 winks every night is one of the best tips for managing stress during the holidays. If you are taking medications or have any health conditions, consult your physician before adding supplements to your routine.
Acupuncturists tell us that the fleshy area between your thumb and index finger is called the “hegu” spot. Squeezing it can reduce tension in your upper body. When you begin to feel overwhelmed, apply firm pressure to this spot for 30 seconds or so while focusing on a few deep breaths. This is our favorite of all the holiday stress tips because you’re literally giving yourself a squeeze.
One of the easiest holiday-stress-relieving tips we’ve found is sniffing citrus oil. Research indicates lemon and orange fragrances can boost levels of norepinephrine, a hormone that affects mood. Dab a little citrus essential on your wrist or a handkerchief for a quick hit of wellbeing that mitigates holiday stress.
Laughter reduces stress hormones and improves immune function. So turn on that silly holiday movie or song and giggle, chortle, guffaw and howl with your kids about how to combat holiday stress with joy.
If all things fail, go seek out help from a mental health professional or doctor. They can help you conduct diagnosis and provide appropriate remedies, such as light therapy and psychotherapy.
Finding the right gift for the right person can bring a lot of joy. However, gift giving is not as straightforward as it sounds, and oftentimes it can become a source of stress during the holidays. Choosing an appropriate, affordable gift is one thing; navigating the complicated web of relationships and ensuring not to upset or imply wrong intentions is another. Gifts can be used to symbolize reconciliation, affection, love or negative gestures, such as retaliation and indifference. To gift-givers, giving a gift implies a certain level of risk and provokes self-consciousness: “Is the gift too cheap and shallow? Is it the right way of packaging it? Will they think I’m showing off or trying too hard to make an impression? What if they get me the same thing? Will others think I’m playing favoritism?” Doubts and negative self-talk can unconsciously consume your mind without you even noticing. And the next thing you realize is that you have become stressed.
Here are some ways to calibrate your attitude towards gift-giving:
Instead of having automatic negative thoughts and generating many imaginary scenarios of how others will receive the gift poorly, take a step back and remind yourself that other people’s reactions are things beyond your control. Focus on your positive intentions and embrace the unpredictable outcome. Another way to scale down our fears is to know that authentic relationships are not defined by gifts exclusively, but the quality time spent, words of affirmation and shared experiences. If the person receiving your gift seems unreasonably disappointed or irritated, this may be a sign of their materialism and shallowness, and you may take this opportunity to evaluate your relationship with him or her.
Rather than trying to guess what your family members or friends would like to receive for the holidays, create a “WishList” for them to input what they prefer, or even down to the specifics. This can effectively reduce the amount of mental work for you so you can focus on purchasing the gifts you already know will be practical, fitting and preferred by the recipients. Getting a gift for someone you don’t know too much about can also cause headaches. We have prepared a list of Secret Santa gift ideas that may help you with some ideas.
Another way to rid yourself of gift-gifting stress is to refrain from it completely. Instead of spending much of your bandwidth to customize each gift and tailor it to each person’s preferences, do something different yet thoughtful, such as writing a personal note or giving homemade cookies or jam. If you would like to treat a group of people, such as your old college friends, co-workers, neighbors or distant relatives, you may even throw a dinner party or cozy hangout at your home.
Even though the holidays are generally supposed to focus on children and their sense of wonder, holiday stress can affect their experience, too. As you work on how to handle stress during the holidays for yourself, be mindful of your little ones’ anxiety levels with these tips to avoid holiday stress on the kids:
We hope that you find the above tips to avoiding holiday stress helpful as you navigate through the holiday seasons. Remember that whatever stress you may be going through, there is a way to beat it. So take a deep breath, be smart about your holiday planning, and be all there for those whom you love. Isn’t that the point of the holidays after all?
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