by Carol Woodliff,C.Ht.
As if our day to day lives aren’t full enough,holidays add a whole new set of responsibilities and lists of things to do. We see the pictures of beautiful holiday tables with smiling families surrounding perfectly cooked dinners. We hear the songs that talk of peace on earth and goodwill to all. The holiday season can be a time of joyful celebrations or stress depending our beliefs about what the holidays “should be like.”Trying to make the “perfect celebration”for family and friends can lead to overdoing,overeating and overspending–all can can add up to stress.
Here are ten tips for dealing with holiday stress.
1. Breathe. Practice deep breathing from the stomach. Making sure the stomach rises and falls with each breath and that you exhale fully. Stress causes us to breathe shallowly and feel more anxious. Breathing deeply signals to the body that all is well. Breathe in line at the store,the post office,while driving,while dealing with the family member who knows exactly which buttons to push. Full deep breathing is a free anecdote to stress that you can do at any time or place.
2. Simplify. Commit to doing at least two things differently this year. Think of some traditions that your family could agree that aren’t that important and let them go. Have a potluck rather than cooking the whole dinner. Decorate one room rather than the whole house. Send New Years cards rather than Christmas cards. Keep the traditions you love and let a few go or change them and do something different.
3. Check your expectations. Expecting perfection sets you up for disappointment. Allow yourself to look at the standards you have created for your holiday and see if they are unrealistic or cause you stress. Remember even Martha Stewart has a team of people to help make those beautiful magazine holiday pictures.
4. Spend less money and more time with the people you care about. Enjoy the simple things-the small,often overlooked ordinary moments. Some of the most wonderful holiday blessings are not written on our calendars or wrapped under the tree. Many joys are found in the unexpected,unplanned moments. If you are spending the holidays away from family,create your own family of others you in the same position or volunteer.
5. Enjoy the process of preparing for the holidays. Enjoy each part of preparing for the holiday,rather than seeing the whole process as a race to the finish. If your whole experience of the holiday season is based on the success of one night or day,you stand a much better chance of feeling let down when the event is over. Enjoy the moment-reframe. Instead of being upset that you have to wait in line. See if you can bring the holiday spirit not only into your home but at the line in the post office,the bank,the mall etc.
6. Remember that the issues you have with holidays and your family will not be solved in one day. Know your limits and establish boundaries for dealing with the challenging people in your life.
7. Eat your treats with a meal. I won’t tell you not to eat treats but simply eating sugary treats as desert after a meal instead of in between meals can help you keep your blood sugar balanced. Blood sugar variations are linked to anxiety,feeling tired and suppressed immune system functions. Eating your holiday treats with a meal that contains protein and complex carbohydrates minimizes the effects of those sugar highs and lows.
8. Spend 10 minutes each day being grateful. Write down all the things you have to be grateful for. Consider a gift of a letter to people of how much you care about them-why you are grateful for having them in your life. If you can’t do ten minutes–do 2 minutes. The gift of gratitude can help you focus on all that you have in your life and put the stresses of the holidays in focus.
9. Exercise. Take a walk or head to the gym or put on music and dance.
10. Schedule an escape. Use a visualization technique for 5-10 minutes. Go get a massage. Take a bath. Read a book. Anything that allows you time to regroup and take care of yourself.
Remember that busyness does not have to equal stress. It is how you think about being busy that creates the stress!
Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday season!