Combating Holiday Stress
“Over time, we’ve turned “the most wonderful time of the year” into the most stressful time of year. But if we’re stressed out, perhaps we’re celebrating the holidays incorrectly.”
— The Minimalists
While most of us enjoy the winter holiday season and start gearing to become ‘merry’ and ‘happy’, and enjoying grand dinners, gatherings and parties, others dread the festivities and feel like they are trapped in a nightmare. Regardless of how happy and cheerful we try to be, the truth is that we all get stressed, anxious and overwhelmed during the holidays — we may feel anxious about traveling and leaving our normal environment, we may be pushed out of our comfort zone, we may experience conflicts with our family members. Along with them, there may also be seemingly insignificant stresses that may be wearing us down, such as selecting the right gifts, preparing grand meals, or feeling the absence of a deceased loved one repeatedly in conversations and gatherings.
As per one study, 64% people feel that their stress levels increase exponentially during holiday season. Also, it’s a difficult time for anyone struggling with any kind of food or substance addiction as the holiday season is usually filled with triggers. The holidays can definitely feel overwhelming and affect our body and mind and this is why they are a great opportunity for us to fine tune and improve our self-care practices.
Self-care and stress management don’t always have to be complicated. Based on some research and reflection on my personal experiences during the holidays, I’ve come up with a few ways to manage holiday stress this year. I hope these strategies help you tackle the difficulties that will be presented to you in the holiday season.
Treat yourself: Holiday stress on a daily basis can drain us out. To manage that, we can give ourselves permission to spend some extra time and even money if required on self-care as it’s definitely worth it this time of the year. Whether you are feeling lonely or overwhelmed with social engagements, plan some solo time in advance to pamper yourself. Perhaps you pick a day for yourself and fill it with activities such as massage, spa treatments, yoga or simply Netflix and a healthy meal that will help you relax, recharge and de-stress.You don’t have to spend a lot of money on self-care, but if you feel something will help you get re-energized then don’t restrict yourself. Let the day be about comfort, relaxation and recalibration. For accountability, mark the day on your calendar, make a non-negotiable date with yourself and schedule any appointments if necessary. As you carve out some ‘me time’ for yourself, you will have something to look forward it building excitement and joyous anticipation within you.
Sleeping well: It’s vital to stick to a healthy sleep routine as much as possible during holidays. As holiday stress and anxiety escalate, it gets hard to fall or stay asleep. If left unchecked both holiday stress and insomnia can create a vicious cycle, where each condition makes the other worse. It’s in our best interest to avoid this negative spiral altogether. Lack of proper sleep also leads to self-sabotaging behaviors and compromises our mental health and well-being. The optimum sleeping time varies for each individual but getting seven to eight hours of sleep in general can help us safeguard against holiday stress and anxiety.
Breathe in, breathe out: Meditating and focusing on our breath can help us become centered and calm during stressful situations. We are able to pause and respond, rather than react. Whenever you experience stress in your everyday life, take a deep breath and recenter yourself. It takes you to a parasympathetic state and creates a buffer between a disturbing or annoying event and your reaction. Instead of getting pissed, you simply breathe and change your focus. Along with meditation and deep breathing, doing different breathing exercises (Pranayama) can also help both our body and mind get in a better state to manage stress and anxiety that we encounter during holidays.
Get Your Hygge on: Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and a good soothing atmosphere. Every individual experiences hygge in their own unique way. For some, hygge is curling up in a cozy, warm blanket with hot cocoa and a good book, for some, it’s eating a satisfying meal and savoring every bite, for some it’s lighting candles and taking a bubble bath and for some, it’s simply meditating in a comforting room. Finding ways to experience hygge every day and embracing and enjoying the simple and cozy moments in our life can immensely help in managing holiday stress.
Give priceless gifts: By choosing creative alternatives, we can avoid the stresses that arise due to traffic and crowded department stores, not to mention the toll holiday shopping can take on our finances. Instead of spending recklessly we can put our money to a better use and avoid debt. It has been reported that four out of five people prefer a photo album filled with childhood memories to a store-purchased gift. We can think outside the box and give gifts that add great value to the recipient. Instead of getting physical gifts, we can gift experiences to our friends and family that are intentional and inexpensive such as tickets to concerts or sporting events, yoga classes, massages or mindfulness programs. If physical gifts are required, we can give them consumables such as books, coffee, chocolates or essential oils. And if the people close to us have everything that they need, we can make donations in their honor to food banks and other charitable organizations. They’ll appreciate them more than the goodies that other people got for them.
Get moving: If you feel worried about the holidays even before the season starts, chances are patterns of stress from previous holiday experiences are still active in your nervous system. The fear and anticipation of holiday stress and anxiety is often worse than the real experience itself. We become more reactive and tense as the holiday season rolls in. A proven method to tackle this tension and stress is to shake it out of your system by getting active. Upon moving, you’ll be able to get out of your mind and into your body. Don’t let the cold restrict you. Take a walk, switch on a dance workout video, hit the gym or go to the yoga studio near you. The mind-body connection will help you gain clarity and dissolve the stressful patterns. Exercise helps greatly in relieving tension in the body and enhancing your overall stress response. Don’t wait for the New Year to arrive, get physical now and allow the holiday stress to get released from your body and your mind.
Identify and prepare ahead for triggers: The holidays are a great time to do some journaling. As you become aware of what brings stress in your life by reflecting on them, you’ll be able to take some time out and prepare yourself before the triggers show up. For instance, if you know your uncle will make a rude remark about your work, have some strategies in place to cope with it. Have all tools ready in your toolkit so that when a rough situation emerges, you are able to handle it. Triggers will always be there and we can’t control them but what we can control is our response towards them. Your preparation will act as a cushion that will minimize the impact of triggers that you encounter, and the feeling of readiness will make you feel more empowered and confident.
Have a good laugh: A great way to dodge the triggers and stresses that come our way during holidays to just not take things so seriously. We need to find ways to get a good laugh in as we cruise through the holiday season. Laughter causes an immediate release of endorphins and improves our mood. It has been scientifically proven that laughter helps in processing stress and makes us feel more relaxed. So pick out a good comedy or fun holiday movie or a stand-up comedy show from the Netflix catalogue and just chill, or check out a local improv show, or hang out with friends who make you laugh.The more you laugh, the easier the holiday winter season will get.
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Originally published at www.thekarmayogi.blog on December 6, 2018.
