It’s funny how the holiday season can be both the most wonderful time of the year and incredibly stressful. Whether you find yourself running around fighting the crowds at the mall, you’re social calendar is so packed that you can’t find a moment to yourself, you’re worried about sticking to your healthy eating plan – it’s easy for the excitement of the holidays to double as both fun and overwhelming.
When you add entertaining relatives or having houseguests for extended amounts of time to the hectic holiday season, you may find yourself wishing you could take a pass. But, you can’t – and, in the end – you’ll have a beautiful time with your family, making holiday memories you won’t soon forget. So how do you make it through the season feeling full of energy, happy and ready to tackle your shopping list? Here are five ways to beat holiday stress.
5 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress
#1. Get fresh air, every day. There’s nothing worse than going through a day cooped up with no fresh air passing through your lungs. Even if it’s absolutely frigid outside, bundle up and get out there. Take a quick 15 minute walk and if you have more time, keep going. Take deep breaths and let the fresh winter air fill your lungs – you’ll feel rejuvenated and calm in no time.
#2. Keep it simple. While it’s fun to go completely overboard cooking food and shopping for gifts, there’s also something really special about keeping things simple. Make traditional items for holiday meals, but rather than making course upon course, just make a simple, but delicious meal. Same goes for decorating. Even though you may have boxes and boxes of holiday décor, try sticking to just your favorites this year. You’ll be less frazzled and much calmer.
#3. Don’t bail on your daily routine. Just because it’s the holiday season doesn’t mean it’s time to completely give up on your daily exercise, healthy eating, meditation – whatever you do. In fact, the holidays is the best time to stick to your routine – you’ll feel better about yourself and more level-headed all season long. If you are a daily runner – don’t stop. If you spend an hour each morning meditating before you tackle the day, keep it going. If you’re on a healthy eating plan, stick to it and save your cheat day for the actual holiday. You’ll feel balanced, healthy and energized.
#4. Take a comedy break. Sounds so simple, right? The holidays really do have the power to make you feel stretched so thin you feel like you may reach a breaking point. So, when it gets like that – round up the family (or just you!) and fire up the DVR or DVDs for a holiday movie break. Pick a classic – and something really silly – like Home Alone, Elf or Christmas Vacation. Let it all go! Just spend a couple of hours taking a break, laughing and enjoying all the fun the holidays have to offer.
#5. Make a list. If you’re still feeling totally overwhelmed by everything that needs to be accomplished, make a holiday list that includes whatever you need to get done – from shopping to cooking to cleaning the house. Use the list to prioritize and check things off as you accomplish. It will help keep everything organized and make it easier for putting it all into perspective.
How do you keep your stress levels in check during the holiday season?
