11 Tips for Surviving Holiday Stress

If you know you usually don’t have time for yourself around the holiday season, make time for yourself.  Especially if you know it is going to be a busy one.  Put time in the calendar just for you. Here are some ideas you can use when you’re making time for yourself.

• Meditate
• Exercise
• Take a nap
• Do something creative
• Color
• Look at art
• Spend time in nature
• Read a book
• Take a bath
• Watch your favorite TV show
• Listen to music

 

2. Plan Ahead

There are different ways to plan ahead.  Put it on your calendar and see how many activities you have scheduled and if it is getting to be too much, reduce the planned activities or cancel ones you already have on your calendar.  If you are planning a party, write down all the things that need to be done and what you plan on cooking - or even better, ask your friends and family to pitch in! Planning ahead, cancelling unneeded activities, and asking for help will help you reduce stress around the holiday season.

 

 

3. Don’t Overextend Yourself

 

If you aren’t a ‘plan ahead’ type of person and you fly by the seat of your pants - or even if you are and you start to feel overwhelmed - take a break.  Only do what you know is necessary and don’t put yourself in a position that will cause undue stress.  If there is something that you are invited to, and you aren’t thrilled to go but feel obligated, it is okay to say no.

 

4. Don’t Expect Everything to Be Perfect

 

I feel like we put a lot of pressure on ourselves - especially around the holidays - to make everything perfect.  Well, I am here to tell you that you don’t.  Life is not perfect and if you expect it to be you are going to stress out during the holiday season. So just don’t do it! I know it is easier said than done, but we put too much pressure on ourselves and perfection just isn’t how life works. Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to let some things go. It’ll be okay, I promise!

 

5. Hire Someone to Do It for You

 

Don’t have the time or energy? Hire someone and it is done! You would be surprised how reasonably priced many smaller vendors are for things like catering or decorating. Have a kiddo who is old enough? Pay them some cash to help you!  Maybe you have a neighbor kid always looking for some cash.  You can pay for catering if you don’t want to cook.  You can pay for cleaning if you don’t want to clean before or after the party.  There are probably vendors out there that do all sorts of things that I don’t know about.  If there is something you would rather hire someone else to do, just Google it!

 

6. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and Breath

 

If there is something that you know is non-essential, than don’t do it.  Leave it.  Take a deep breath.  No, I am not telling you to just think that, I am literally saying take a deep breath.  It will make you feel better.  It will be okay, trust me.

 

7. Watch Your Spending

 

This is probably more of a stress after the holiday season, but if you make a budget before the holiday season begins, watch it closely and don’t go over. I know, easier said than done.  If you know you are tight on money for the year, try suggesting a gift exchange or a white elephant gift exchange with the family.  Another tip is to shop throughout the year.  I am always keeping an eye out for a good holiday gift for someone in the family as I shop throughout the year. That way, you aren’t spending money in one lump sum.  Also, by shopping throughout the year, you won’t have to deal with the stress of holiday crowds - unless that is your jam.  Just remember, if you buy the gift earlier in the year, put it in a special pile and don’t forget that you bought it!

 

8. Online Shopping

 

Speaking of money and shopping, online shopping can make things less stressful if you don’t like to deal with crowds and going from store to store.  It might be easier to stay within your budget since you can more easily find a cheaper price for the same item. Also, it lessens the temptation of buying something you aren’t shopping for.

 

9. Get A Good Night’s Sleep

 

Experts recommend you get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night.  It is hard to deal with stress if you don’t get a good night’s sleep and if you are over-tired, it can make you even more stressed and no one wants that.

 

10. Dealing With Family and Friends

 

Not all of us like to think of some family and friends causing stress, but we know there is that one aunt or cousin or friend that you get on the wrong subject, and it can ruin your whole day.  If you are worried or stressed about a holiday gathering that may cause this, make plans, to shorten your time at that gathering. While you’re at the gathering, if that specific subject that causes arguments or stress comes up, change the subject or just don’t respond. It takes two to have a conversation, so if a hot button subjects come up, redirect or walk away.  You know your family and friends better than I do. Plan ahead if time spent with them is unavoidable.

 

11. Dealing With a Loss of a Loved One

 

If you know the holidays are going to be a hard time for you this year because a loved one passed away during the holidays make sure you have lots of support or a coping plan. Ensure that friends and family know you are going to need their support and make plans to spend time with them if that will help you cope during the holidays.

 

Holiday Fun Facts

I think it is time to lighten the mood and talk about some fun holiday facts. 

• “Jingle Bells” was the first song played in space. The crew of NASA's Gemini 6A space flight played “Jingle Bells” on December 16, 1965, they got into the Guinness World Record for being the first song ever played in space. “Jingle Bells” was also originally a Thanksgiving song.  It was first performed during a Thanksgiving concert in 1850 by James Lord Pierpont according to Time.

 

• Mistletoe translates to "dung on a stick." Isn’t ironic…. don’t you think? Mistletoe was once considered an aphrodisiac by the Druids.  The original name for mistletoe was mistaltan—mistal comes from the Anglo Saxon word for "dung" and tan means "stick."

 

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally created as an advertising promotion to shoppers. According to Smithsonian it first appeared in 1939 at Montgomery Ward department store distributing 2.4 million copies of the story in the first year of its publication.

 

• Christmas trees weren't originally accepted in the U.S.. The German settlers of Pennsylvania first introduced the Christmas tree to the U.S. and because they weren't seen as Christian they were not originally accepted. "As late as the 1840s, Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans," according to History.com.

 

• Tinsel was once made of real silver. According to BBC in the early 1600s in Nuremberg, Germany, where people "used thin strands of real silver in their trees to reflect candlelight, as they used to put real candles in their trees." And since silver was expensive, being able to use tinsel in your tree was something of a status symbol.

 

 

Mamma in her apron, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment she knew the tricks.

And she whistled, and shouted, and called the kids by name.

 

“Now, DAN! Now DEBBIE! now, PENNY and VANESSA!

On, CHRIS! On CHRISTINA! on, DON and BRITTNEY!

To the top of the stairs!  Down the hall!

Now into bed!  Into bed!  Into bed all!”

 

Just like when a storm comes through and is about to settle,

So up to the top of the stairs and down the hall the kids they flew,

Just like the sound of the hooves of reindeer on the roof.

I could hear each little hoof.

 

As my hand was waving above the turkey to air the smoke out,

Here comes Mamma in without a sound.

 

She was still dressed in her apron, but was stressed from head to foot,

And her apron was all stained with smudges and smelled of smoke.

 

She brought out toys and had them sprawled all over the place,

The living room looked like Santa’s North Pole workshop just opening its newfound space.

 

Her eyes—how worried!  Her forehead how wrinkled!

Her cheeks and nose all red like a strawberry!

 

Her mouth clammed shut,

And her hands taking the task at hand.

 

The pen she held tight in her teeth,

And the ribbon circling around her body like a Christmas wreath.

 

She had scotch tape attached all over the place,

And sparkles from the wrapping paper flung all over her face.

 

I laughed when I saw her, inside of myself.

A blink of her eyes and a smile instead,

Told me I had nothing to fear.

 

Not a word was spoken, and she went straight to her cleaning

And filled all the trash bags; then turned to the next task,

And wiping the sweat off her face,

 

She sprang from her cleaning, to finish all she had done,

And we finally got to settle down for our long nightcap.

 

But I will exclaim, as the holidays draw near,

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL,

TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT’S REST WITH A LITTLE LESS STRESS!

 

Suggestions

I wanted to point out that the tips I have are just suggestions.  Pick and choose what you want to try and what works for you.  Everyone is unique and different.  What works for one person doesn’t always work for another.  Figure out what works for you and what doesn’t because either way, there will always be next holiday season.

 

How Do You Plan on Dealing with Holiday Stress?

Don’t wait until the holidays come around and then figure out how you will deal with the stress.  The best way to avoid stress is to plan now.  Think about what your plan is going to be for the holidays and stick to it. If the stress comes your way, how will you cope and destress?

 

*HUGS*

Marie

Helping You Escape Daily Stress by Using Art to Relax