Holidays are a great time to gather with all your friends and family to enjoy the festivities that the season brings. Everyone seems to look forward to the holidays, the time off of school and also work, and even coziness with the movies by a fire.
However, the holiday season can also be a huge source of your stress.
To prepare presents, host parties, to bake goodies, have family stay over, and decorate, the stress can easily add up. This can make the holidays seem like more a chore than a celebration. If this sounds like you during the season holidays, try to implement these tips into your daily routine this season. You will feel less overburdened with your stress and can embrace more of the true joy the holiday season brings.
The holidays are a great time to unwind and enjoy quality time with all your friends and your family. Don’t let long lines, hectic travel, and also cantankerous relatives ruin your holiday.
Keep your body blood pressure low and your spirits high. Don’t give yourself a holiday heart attack by allowing yourself to get worked up and again stressed out trying to have the elusive perfect holiday.
Here are few ways to help keep your holiday stress free:
Stay close to home
If traveling stresses you out, invite your family to join you in your home this year. If they can’t travel to see you, don’t feel pressured or guilty about staying home anyway. While it’s always nice to travel to see family, sometimes it’s nice to just have a quiet holiday at home instead. Send them holiday cards and care packages, and mark out a time to spend together on a video chat on the actual holiday.
Travel at non-peak times
If you are traveling to visit loved ones this holiday season, try to travel during non-typical travel hours. Take the red eye flight when lines will be short and getting through security will be a breeze. If you’re driving, don’t hit the highway right at rush hour if you can avoid it.
Keep in mind that some major highways choose the middle of the night to work on construction projects, so use traffic apps to anticipate any bumper to bumper construction traffic and take alternative routes to get you to your destination faster.
Use your travel time efficiently
Instead of getting frustrated with long lines, stressed by layovers, or irritable in car traffic, prepare for the inevitable times where you may be left twiddling your thumbs while you’re traveling.
Pack that new book you’ve been waiting for some down time to read, and enjoy the pauses in your travel time instead of stressing. If you’re traveling by car, bring an audio book or new CD to listen to on the drive and while you’re sitting in traffic.
Don’t get into arguments
Nothing brings out the best in people quite like tense holiday dinners in which people discuss religion and politics…if you have that one relative who likes to be combative about everything discussed, try to steer clear of the hot button issues.
If you enjoy animated debates about religion and politics, make sure the rest of the group is just as comfortable with the discussion.
Avoid the craziness
During the prelude to the holidays parking, lots are packed, checkout lines are a dozen people deep, and people tend to be just a little bit crazier.
With so many of the holiday deals available online, it’s so much easier to just shop from home. Even if a
gift or product you want to buy doesn’t come with free shipping, seven dollars for shipping and handling charges is worth the time, the stress, and the effort of going out into the crazy holiday stores.
Only use strategic credit
Don’t spend more than your budget can realistically handle during the holidays. Nothing is more stressful, post-holidays than dealing with a credit card statement from loose holiday spending you couldn’t really afford.
If you do use your credit card during the holidays, use your purchases strategically to travel-hack your way to a two-week vacation abroad or for other cash or travel rewards.
Don’t try to be something you’re not
You don’t have to cook like Emeril or decorate like Martha Stewart to have a great holiday. Just be yourself and don’t feel pressured to prepare a Pinterest-worthy holiday. No one will care if you have perfect snowflake doilies decorating the table if you’re stressed out and miserable trying to make the day “perfect.”
Choose the easy way out
Pumpkin pie is pumpkin pie, whether you spent 8 hours baking it from scratch or picked it up from the grocery store on your way home from work. If cooking for hours and hours isn’t your thing, don’t feel guilty for ordering food or picking up store-bought versions.
Make time to exercise
Whether it’s making time to burn off some frustration in the cardio room at the gym, taking part in a group fitness class, rehabbing your home, or simply going for a walk around the neighborhood, exercise is a key way to keep your stress levels low during the holidays (and every day).
(Responsibly) enjoy your favorite drinks
If you’re feeling stressed out, let loose a little bit and have a pre-dinner cocktail, a glass of wine, or a cup of traditional eggnog. Don’t feel guilty for partaking in your favorite drinks. Just make sure you have a designated driver or taxi on standby if you have too much of your favorite drink. Nothing spells out stress like DUI charges.
Enjoy the holiday season with family and friends, but don’t feel guilty about making time for yourself either. If you’re able to find the silver lining in every situation, you’ll be able to enjoy a much less stressful holiday.
