Minimizing holiday stress
The holidays are supposed to be a lot of fun, but for many they are very stressful. Stress during the holidays is as common as turkey, caroling, and presents. With the whirlwind of gift-giving, shopping, family get togethers, baking, and all the rest that goes with the holidays, it is no wonder that with holiday parties and activities galore that begins right after Halloween, builds to Thanksgiving, and continues, gaining momentum, through the end of the year, that stress might be part of your life.
While this season is meant to bring feelings of love and cheer, it's also can be very stressful. So to be able to manage holiday stress, we need to take a look at what causes holiday stress. Once you know what makes you stressed during the holidays you can work to minimize it.
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Doing too much:
All things in moderation, as the saying goes is probably best, but during the holidays we tend to overdo it. You have presents for every person on your street, your whole family, food to make, cookies to bake, parties to attend and more. There is such thing as too much of a good thing, too many activities, even fun ones can lead to feelings of fatigue, and too much holiday activity can leave us feeling frazzled, rather than fulfilled.
Eating, drinking and spending too much:
These things are all apart of the holidays, and while fun, lead to large amounts of stress. Eating, drinking, and spending in excess can leave you feeling overwhelmed. It is fun to give all of those gifts, but when you get the credit card statement your stress levels could go through the roof. While eating all of those yummy treats, rich desserts, and mood altering beverages, is great fun, when you step on the scale, or try to squeeze into your jeans, or wake up with a hang over, your stress levels might jump up. The consequence of excess is debt, weight gain, memories of embarrassing behavior, etc. These last longer than the euphoria and leave you stressed.
Too much togetherness:
The holidays are a time when extended families tend to gather, this can be a bit stressful because sometimes it means not enough time with just your family. Sometimes you fall into situations that are stressful like friendly family teasing, which sometimes hurts. Some of these gatherings bring more dread than love.
Not enough togetherness:
Just as being with your family too much can cause stress, so can not having family around during the holidays. There is a loneliness issue, if you see this time of year as a time for family and friends and you do not have any around, it can mean stress and sadness.
So you know these are some of the things that cause stress, and you know that with holiday stress it is predictable, and probably going to happen, so this year you can plan for it, and thus reduce the amount of stress you experience, or at least the negative impact it will have on you.
To minimize your stress, set priorities and determine what activities, traditions, and family members you can't do without. If too much shopping and baking are going to stress you out, then buy gifts online, and purchase almost as good as homemade cookies from a local bakery. So, pick a few of your favorite activities that you and your family enjoy, and skip the rest to reduce stress and find the holidays even more enjoyable.
