With winter fast approaching and all the festivities and family get-togethers, it’s easy to forget about taking care of you. Learn how to beat holiday stress with these easy tips!
These festive days are all packed with cheer and fun, family gatherings, friends and the never-ending feast of hearty meals and delicious drinks. Nonetheless, the end of the year and all the social commitments can make you feel a little bit blue. With these tips and tricks you can learn how to beat holiday stress and carry on with all the fun.
The way we process social engagements, end-of-year responsibilities at work, how we manage our health, our traveling and so on, definitely varies. And – for this same reason – what causes holiday stress can be different from person to person.
However, there are many tips and tricks that one can adopt to understand when the stressful sensation is coming up, and how to handle it properly in order to alleviate the tension.
It’s important to identify what causes holiday stress in your particular case: is it the crazy working schedule in order to meet deadlines? Dealing with the crowds, your relatives or your in-laws? Or maybe you are a perfectionist that wants to find the right gift for your significant other.
Whatever your case may be, you are not alone. We’ve gathered the best holiday stress relief tips to help you, not only handle the holidays, but actually find the excitement and enjoyment this time of year brings.
Take a stroll
With cooler temps you can enjoy the outdoors even more. The sun is still shinning and it will help you catch some Vitamin D without the burn. But, taking a stroll or hiking during the winter months can actually increase your serotonin levels (the feeling-good sensation) helping you fight off the blues.
Get enough sleep
All the traveling and partying can take a toll on your system. Make sure that you get enough time under the covers so your body – and your mind! – can recover. Take a natural supplement (like Melatonin or 5-HTP) to help you reduce your anxiety, increase serotonin and improve sleep.
Don’t over-schedule
Plan your work deadlines and social activities ahead of time, ensuring that you can take at least a 10 minute rest between work priorities and half-an-hour prior to any social engagement.
Set up a Holiday budget
A big part of your stress can come from financial responsibilities. When planning your gifts for your loved ones, create a budget ahead of the shopping days and stick to it. Keep in mind that is not how much you spend on a gift, but the emotional value it carries what counts.
Know your limits
It’s more than okay to indulge a little over the holidays. But, part of knowing how to beat holiday stress is knowing your own limitations, whether they are health, money or time related. Eat in moderation, don’t break your budget rule and spend enough time with friends and family without compromising your “me time”.
Spread the Holiday Cheer
It is perfectly acceptable to ask for help (politely!) and accept it when is offered. Whether it is sharing dinner responsibilities with loved ones, helping each other wrapping gifts or carpooling if you have events in common.
Keep a positive state of mind
Even if this is easier said than done, keeping positive thoughts in mind will help you deal with the holiday stress. Negative thoughts can trigger your body into a stressful situation; remember this is a good time to relax, spend time with your loved ones, laugh and keep making memories.
If there is one thing that we can all agree with, is that this time of year is special. These holiday stress relief tips are not only helpful, but actually easy to do and will definitely help you feel more relaxed and provide the reassurance you need to enjoy this beautiful time.
