How to Manage Holiday Stress
How to Manage Holiday Stress
Despite the fact that the holidays are supposed to be a time of peace, love and harmony many people find this season to be quite stressful. We are often presented with images of families sitting around the Christmas tree happily opening presents or perhaps sitting at the dining table enjoying a delicious Christmas dinner together and if our experience doesn’t match these images then we feel like we’ve missed out And so rather than feeling happy and content during this holiday season, we feel stressed and depressed. In addition, many of us find there are lots of social obligations that we feel like we need to attend and so we end up running from party to party, celebration the celebration worrying that if we don’t attend these events our friends/family/colleagues will feel offended. All the above results in a stressful, complicated holiday experience which is far from what we hoped or expected to happen.
While I don’t presume to have all the answers, because I too struggle with many of the same problems mentioned above, here are some ideas you might try:
1. Focus on those people/events that are the most important to you and let the rest go. I believe this is, in fact, good advice for life in general. I believe Tim Ferriss has said being busy is actually a lack of priorities. Prioritizing what is most important and focusing there, increases the probability you will be happy with the outcome.
2. Disengage from the usual “Christmas Machine” and create an experience that is more meaningful for you and your family. Find a way to make the holiday season special and meaningful besides simply buying and exchanging presents. That can be something as simple as having a quiet evening with your family playing a board game at home.
3. Focus on experiences and not things. Whatever things you buy for others or receive from others will most likely diminish in importance over time, whereas memories of time spent with loved ones or friends over time can become even more precious and meaningful. Do those things that create more meaning in the future rather than those that diminish in meaning over time.
4. Give yourself the gift of being grateful for what you do have and try to resist focusing on what you don’t have. Maybe your family is fractured, maybe you and your partner don’t always get along so well (unlike what you see on those Hallmark cards) and maybe your paycheck isn’t as big as you would like. Accept all of the above with as much grace as you can muster and enjoy what you do have.
5. Focus on some self care. Exercise, meditate, get enough sleep and be mindful about your eating and drinking. Be kind to yourself. Take care of yourself the way you’d take care of a good friend or loved one.
6. Spend less money so you don’t have a “holiday hangover” of a large credit card bill come January.
I hope you all have a great Holiday Season and all the best in 2020.
Dr Bob (and Georgie)
(If you click on and buy Unplug The Christmas Machine I get a small affiliate commission from Amazon.)