National Stress-Free Holidays Month
Holiday season is upon us, which means it’s time for hot chocolate, food and festivities! This time is filled with merriment and lots of laughs, but that doesn’t mean it can’t feel overwhelming. Endless to-do lists, work, preparing for dinners, shopping and a plethora of other tasks can weigh heavy on us. How can we make sure our work loads, school work, and holiday obligations don’t cause stress or anxiety? Well luckily December is all about being stress-free and learning different ways to keep calm.
You Better Watch Out for Stressors
Stressors are something that causes a state of strain or tension. Stressors are different for each person, so it’s important before preparing for the holidays to give yourself space to acknowledge your stressors and how to manage.
Examples of stressors:
- Pressure to be perfect
- Too many obligations
- Overspending
- High expectations
- Travel delays
- Family tension
- Overindulging
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Too much time with family or not enough
- Multiple caregiving roles
- Personal or family illness
- Work demands
- Expectations of what you should do
All I Want For the Holidays Is Calm
Making plans on how to keep calm this season can be immensely helpful. If you begin to feel too overwhelmed by this season what will your plan be? Similar to stressors, that’s all dependent on the individual. Stressors are different from person to person and so are methods of staying calm. Some individuals use journaling as a way to help themselves and others use therapy. It’s all about what works for you!
Tips for having a stress-free season:
- Be realistic and know your limits
The holidays don’t have to be perfect or look the same year after year. Plans change so be open to finding other ways to celebrate if needed. Focus on what’s important and let go of what isn’t. - Plan ahead
Set a schedule for specific tasks and involve your family or friends. Decide what’s going to be on your menu and make a shopping list. Order gifts early to avoid shipping delays or out of stock items. If you are traveling, try to book as early as you can and pre-pack your bags. - Stay on budget
Decide how much you can afford on gifts and food. Consider making homemade gifts that are from the heart or start a family gift exchange. - Share the tasks
Enlist friends and family to help you with decorating, meal planning, cooking and cleaning. - Learn to say no
Saying yes when you should say no can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate in every project or activity. If it’s not possible to say no when your boss asks you to work overtime, try to remove something else from your agenda to make up for the lost time. - Set aside grievances
Try to accept family members for who they are and find commonalities. Consider the bigger picture. Empathy and civility go a long way during this month. - Seek professional help if you need it
Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself feeling persistently sad or anxious, plagued by physical complaints, unable to sleep, irritable and hopeless, and unable to face routine chores. If these feelings last for a while, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. - Don’t abandon healthy habits
Maintain your normal routine by continuing to eat healthy, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated and practice mindfulness.- Try these suggestions:
- Have a healthy snack before holiday meals.
- Eat healthy meals.
- Get plenty of sleep.
- Include regular physical activity in your daily routine.
- Try deep-breathing exercises, meditation or yoga.
- Avoid excessive tobacco, and alcohol.
- Be aware of how the information culture can produce undue stress, and adjust the time you spend reading news and social media as you see fit.
- Try these suggestions:
8 Tips for Helping Kids Have a Great Holiday
Kids, like adults, can feel overwhelmed by the holiday season. Balancing school activities, friends, family, school work, and much more can cause some tension. How can we help kids balance their schedules and manage their stress? Below are some tips to help, but overall, it’s about creating a game plan with your kids. Ask them what helps them when they are stressed, and make sure to check in with them throughout the month.
Tips:
- Make time for physical activity
Chances are, your kids are used to at least a little physical activity every day—through sports, or even just recess. Often when school is out, relatives are over, it’s cold outside, and it gets dark early, physical activity can decrease. Creating some unstructured time for kids to run around, be noisy, and work off pent up energy - Create and honor your own family traditions
Think back to your own childhood and the holidays. There were likely traditions or rituals that you loved—that made it feel like the holidays. These things are important in making the time and the memories special. They can also strengthen your family’s sense of closeness. With your kids, you can certainly create new and different tradition. - Teach your kids the joy of giving, not just getting
This can be through an overt conversation, or more subtle, depending on the age. Modeling is an indirect way: remember out loud how good it felt to give someone a meaningful gift, and why. Also, you can help your child identify and capture these feelings in themselves. If they have done something particularly kind, helpful, or generous, you can complement them on it. Ask them how they feel. With acknowledgement, the feeling can become its own reward. - Let them help out
There’s a lot of extra work to do around the holidays — putting up decorations, cooking big dinners, throwing parties. The Martha Stewart in all of us can take over, but it’s important to take a step back and make sure our kids are included, too. - Practice mindfulness and gratitude, and teach your kids to do the same
It’s easy to get swept away by the excesses of the holidays. This may be food, presents, house guests, or activities. It can be easy to lose sight of the deep joy of togetherness in the hustle and bustle. Take time to notice moments of love and joy. - Keep routines
We love the holidays because they give us a break from the everyday, but that can also make them stressful, especially for kids who find routine comforting. Try to keep some things constant. Kids still need special attention from you, and they still need a chance to unwind before bedtime. - Take care of yourself
If you’re stressed out, it will very likely pass on to your kids. It’s ok not to be perfect. It’s ok to say no to some invitations, projects, outings, or decorating extravaganzas. Choose to put your heart into doing the things you and your family really enjoy. It’s not just better for you—it’s better for your kids, too. - Have fun! Enjoy yourself!
Enjoy your kids. This year will never come again!
December Recommendations
Enjoy our feel good choices for December! Make the last month of the year the best!
Space Jam
Directed by Joe Pytka
Swackhammer, an evil alien theme park owner, needs a new attraction at Moron Mountain. When his gang, the Nerdlucks, head to Earth to kidnap Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes, Bugs challenges them to a basketball game to determine their fate. The aliens agree, but they steal the powers of NBA basketball players, including Larry Bird and Charles Barkley, so Bugs gets some help from superstar Michael Jordan.
Good Vibes, Good Life: How Self-Love Is the Key to Unlocking Your Greatness
Written by Vex King
Good Vibes, Good Life is a book about manifesting what you want, living meaningfully, and appreciating the little things. The author explains how to be happy with yourself by embracing what is already there. With this knowledge as a foundation, you can start manifesting right away.
