The holidays are full of wonder, but it takes all kinds of work to create that magic. Between decorating, parties, gifts, school activities, and the multitudes of family, 80% of us find the holiday season to be ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ stressful! Why do we keep doing this to ourselves??
We've compiled some tips from our friends over at Very Well Mind on how to manage stress over the holiday season.
1. STOP. 👏 DOING. 👏 SO. 👏 MUCH. 👏
We put way too much pressure on ourselves during the holidays. While it's hard not to with all the fanfare, it's really not necessary. Very Well Mind says:
"While stress itself is necessary for our survival and zest for life (researchers call this positive type of stress "eustress"), too much stress has a negative impact on our health, both mental and physical. Too many activities, even if they are fun activities, can culminate in too much holiday stress and leave us feeling frazzled, rather than fulfilled."
So there's no need to 'overdose' on food, drink, parties, gifts, spending, and togetherness. Just be reasonable and never spread yourself too thin.
Expert Tip: Don't compare your holidays to what you see on social media or television. You'll end up setting unrealistic expectations for yourself, and bumming yourself out when you can't meet them!
2. Keep an eye on YOU
The season of giving is a hard time to justify being selfish, but, guess what? You matter too! While your family, friends, and community appreciate what you're doing to make a difference, they can see the toll it takes on you. You can't help anyone if you don't help yourself too!
Find shortcuts! You can still do your normal routine, just try it out on a smaller scale.
Monitor your food and alcohol consumption.
Don't forget to breathe. It WILL be okay!
3. Get Organized
When too much is going on, we end up getting frazzled, behind on tasks and, then, just spiral out of control! The top two things that you can do to combat this are prioritizing and setting a schedule. Just make sure your to-do list is reasonable and affordable. 😉
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