How can I plan better to avoid stress during the holidays?

The greatest challenge of the holiday season is staying balanced. From gift giving and parties to in-laws and traveling, stress is inextricably woven into the holiday celebration.

Write It Down
The brain can get overwhelmed with too much to do and too much information. Begin your de-stressed holiday season with making lists, write everything down. 

Finances
Create a unique gift list. Instead of fighting mall traffic or last minute gifts, shop online all year-round to watch for clearances and sales. Buy gift certificates, spa vouchers, or give money to the recipient’s favorite charity in their name.

Travel
Memorize stress reduction techniques, and teach them to others.
Be sure to nurture yourself. Take along a favorite blanket, music, or DVD for comfort.  
Make wise food choices to lower stress levels that include omega 3’s, vitamin B, and spicy foods.
Keep moving. Walk up and down the concourse, or do yoga stretches. This produces endorphins, calming hormones in the brain.  
Surrender. Reacting to every obstacle will raise your blood pressure and your heart rate.

Family
Create a family email list or newsletter. Make sure your family knows what to bring during an extended stay. For example: notes on food allergies. Place disposable cameras around the house. This takes the pressure off one person to capture all the memories. Plan shopping trips around your child’s “up” time, and carry plenty of snacks. 

Depression
Combat depression with “Helpers High”. Volunteering is an instant pick me up. Meeting like minded people while helping those in need improves your health. Contact an out-of-touch relative, friend or old neighbor. Try something new during this time. A new type of food, decorate in new colors.

Weight Gain
Set an amount of parties to attend. The day of the party, eat two light meals, so the major part of your daily intake will be at the celebration. Eat what you love, keep the proportion down. Keep a heavy amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet, but never skip out on food that makes you happy. Try to limit alcohol and carbohydrate consumption, which can increase your stress response. Drink sparkling water with a lime to fill your stomach and create a sense of fullness.

The holidays are a very stressful time for many people. There are numerous festivities to plan for, gifts to purchase and budgets to balance as a result. The holidays season also falls during the winter months, where the days are shorter, our temperatures drop and we are less socially and physically active. All these factors together can seem to be a recipe for disaster, i.e., high stress.  For many people, it feels like a time of hibernation, when people give themselves permission to “let themselves go”- whether it be with binge eating, drinking, sleeping more than usual or not exercising. Although some of these behaviors may be to a high enough proportion to actually signify a seasonal affective disorder (see section on Seasonal affective disorder, winter depression), for many, it is a sign of increased stress and poor planning. Continuing to exercise 3-5 x week will go a long way. It’s also important to curb one’s appetite for perfectionism-there is no such thing as “the perfect gift”.  Many people find it helpful to plan several months in advance including shopping for loved ones, having open communication about family expectations, money, hosting parties etc- all of which can manage one’s anxieties and avoid unwanted and uneeded stress.  To avoid stress during the holiday season, it is crucial to get adequate sleep, avoid excessive drinking, get exposure to sunlight- even a 10 minute brisk walk will be helpful.

One way to avoid stress during the holidays is to be cautious about how much you commit to do. Try to commit to what you want to do and enjoy doing, rather than trying to meet others` expectations. It is better to under-commit if possible, so that you have time to enjoy those activities. Find ways to focus on what you have to be grateful for, rather than what you may perceive as lacking. Much stress is created by how we perceive our circumstances, others` behavior, and our general expectations. If we can appreciate what and who we have, we are likely to feel much happier, and much less stressed.

SWEEP yourself:

• Sleep - Get enough of it
• Work - Be sure you're able to unhook from it and enjoy.
• Eat in moderation and enjoy the holiday foods you may not have on a regular basis.
• Emotionally express yourself appropriately and remember these are highly emotional times.
• Play and be sure to enjoy activities with family/friends and yourself.

 

Exercise is very important to our mental well-being. If you can get outside and get some sunlight during winter, it can also help you feel better. Trying to allow some personal time for oneself to relax, exercise, meditate or do yoga can all be effective in relieving stress. Getting enough sleep is always important, and eating healthy (and not overeating) and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption are other important principles for getting through holiday stress.