The holiday season is full of family reunions, friend reunions, and lots of delicious food and alcohol. But with the holiday season, comes the inevitable holiday stress. Here are five tried and tested ways to handle it.
This post is all about Holiday Stress | 5 Ways To Handle The Pressure of The Season
1. Maintain your routine
I totally get it… it’s hard to keep a routine when the holidays come around. We’re up late, we’re out more than often for a few weeks, we’re eating heavy foods and drinking more than usual.
While it might seem easier just to throw in the towel and let everything get turned upside down, I highly suggest starting and ending the day with some consistent and healthy habits.
For example, start every morning with some movement and a nutritious breakfast (keep it simple when there’s a lot going on). Then end your day with a skincare routine and reading in bed.
If you need some routine inspiration, check out this post!
2. Check in with a therapist
If you have a therapist, I thoroughly encourage you to keep seeing them during the holiday season.
Last year I hesitated to keep my therapy schedule. Thank goodness she convinced me otherwise – it was such a relief to talk with her when things got overwhelming.
If you don’t already have a therapist, maybe now is the time to start doing some research on how to get one. What insurance do you have? Who does it cover? You need to call your insurance company and simply ask.
If you don’t have insurance, most universities will offer very low cost therapy on sliding scale. It won’t be the most experienced therapist (they’re normally doing the practical aspect of their training) but it’s a lot better than nothing.
3. Keep in touch with friends
When we’re spending so much time with family during the holidays, it’s inevitable that issues from childhood, and general stress, get reignited.
Talk to your friends as much as possible when you’re back into your childhood bedroom… for some of us, it’s destabilizing to return to certain spaces from childhood, so connecting with people from your present can center you.
4. Plan your days
Sometimes planning a bunch of activities during the holidays can really help center you – and everyone else – when the routine is different.
Plan low stakes, easy activities to implement. Don’t put more pressure on yourself than you need to!
Plans which include hikes, eating out, watching movies, or playing easy board games (choose ones that don’t cause fights easily!), are going to be a lifesaver when you’re trying to avoid holiday stress.
5. Find some alone time
It’s natural to be around a lot of people during the holiday season, but before you know it, days go by and you haven’t had time to collect your thoughts.
Whether it’s going for a walk, getting your hair done (I always schedule a hair appointment right before the holiday parties get underway), or doing fitness class on YouTube, having an hour to yourself will make a difference.