How To Handle Stress and Really Enjoy Your Holidays

The time between Halloween and New Years can be very stressful for some people. Whether you celebrate All Saints Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Festivus, or any holiday that is celebrated in the Fall or Winter, stress can be a problem.

What can we do? There’s shopping to be done, places to go, parties to attend, cookies to bake, presents to wrap, carols to be sung, halls to be decked, and wassail to be drunk.

But, that doesn’t mean that stress can intrude on your fun and merriment. Here are 8 easy tips and tricks you can use to keep stress from ruining your holidays:

How to Keep Stress From Ruining Your Holidays

1. Keep it Sweet and Simple. There’s no need to complicate the holidays. If you’re being overwhelmed with tasks and activities, just keep it sweet and simple. Cut back, get help, or eliminate them all together.
2. Move it. If you already have an exercise program, stick to it. If you don’t have one, don’t start one. Just start moving. Dance to Christmas music, take walks, have a snowball fight (if we ever get snow), just be active.
3. Don’t Overindulge. On average, most people will gain 8 pounds over the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year. Don’t be a statistic! If you feel the need to overindulge at a party, stick to the vegetable platter, sans the dip.
4. H2O H2O H2O. Dehydration can cause many issues such as irritability, problems with digestion, and muscle spasms, to name a few. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and healthy.
5. Just Say No. Are you being asked to do too much? Are you asking yourself to do too much? Who says you have to do everything? No one, that’s who! Politely decline tasks and errands that will cause stress.
6. Take a Break. There will be stretches during the season where you’ll be going non-stop, dashing here and prancing there. Make sure you slow down and take a break. Have a hot cup of coffee. Don’t just gulp it on the go. Sit down, sip it, and savor it.
7. Don’t Forget What’s Most Important. There are many reasons we all celebrate during this time of year. Don’t forget yours! Enjoy the moments you spend with friends and family. Whether those moments are big or small, they are all important.
8. Take Time For Yourself. It’s easy to give all that you have to others this time of year. But, what about yourself? Pamper yourself. Take a spa day. Buy yourself a gift. Steal a quiet moment with your spouse. How can you give, if you have nothing left to give?

These 8 simple steps will lay the ground work for happy, stress free holidays. But, you have to do it. Just reading these and nodding your head in agreement will not make it so. If doing all 8 steps is overwhelming, start with the first one: Keep it Sweet and Simple. If you can do just that, you’ll be miles ahead of other stressed out holiday goers, and you’ll have a leg up when the New Year rolls around and it’s time to start working on your goals.