Tips to deal with holiday stress

In our previous post we discussed the downside of the holiday season: the holiday blues. Although you cannot prevent stress from happening in this ‘most wonderful time of the year’, you can help yourself reduce stress with some of the following tips:

  1. Set realistic expectations
    We all know the idealistic images of big families with beautiful people and happy children around a table full of delicious food. The reality? People busting a sweat in the kitchen to prepare dinner for 18 people, kids who fight and refuse to eat, migraines due to all the noise and getting into an argument with your sister after that fourth glass of wine… When you imagine your Christmas celebration, please have a reality check and realize that chaos and mess is also a part of Christmas.

  2. Prioritize
    With so many events and tasks it can be difficult to get an overview. Since every event (school, work, community) seems important, it’s up to you to prioritize: what’s most important, what can you skip in order to have a night off?

  3. Be realistic
    Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. This goes for attending events as well as preparing food and buying gifts: are you able to do all of the preparations yourself or can you share your duties with partners or family members?

  4. Make time for yourself
    During the holidays, most people spend lots of time with others and very little by themselves. This may also cause you to give up on some hobbies or coping strategies as reading or exercise that would actually be beneficial for you. So make sure to carve out some time to do something just for you, in order to digest and recuperate. 

  5. Limit your food and alcohol intake
    Even though Christmas is almost synonymous to unlimited eating and drinking, too much of either those can have a negative effect on your mood. Excessive eating can cause physical discomfort as well as feeling lethargic. Too much alcohol also has negative side effects such as increase in depression, risk of interpersonal problems such as arguments and feeling hungover the day after.

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