Festival season
‘Tis the season to be jolly? Right? But for some ‘tis the season be stressed and anxious, or even sad. While everyone’s experiences can be very different there can be some particular reasons why this time of year is stressful.
Which ones do you most resonate with?
High expectations: with high expectations regarding the perfect gift, decorating your house, and ensuring a great time will be had by all, expectations can put a lot of pressure on us.
Over full schedules: Forget stuffed turkey, what about stuffed to-do lists? Already crammed to-do lists start to bulge at the seams as December brings additional tasks, not to mention festive events, it can feel like having a good time is a chore.
Money: “It’s the most wonderful expensive time of the year…” if you were feeling the pinch before it’s going to really start putting the pressure on as the festive season approaches.
Food and alcohol: for those working hard to stay on track with healthy choices this time of year can put pressure on their willpower.
Social pressure: the expectations to socialize or spend time with relatives whose company isn’t enjoyable can be tough for some of us.
Loneliness: for those with physical or emotional distance between loved ones this time of year can be hard and even more difficult if someone has lost a loved one.
New Year goals: the expectation to set healthy inspiring goals and then actually achieve them can lead to stress and anxiety.
10 Tips for dealing with holiday stress
1. Practice self-compassion, self-compassion supports you to understand your needs. In difficult moments allow the emotions of anger or frustration to pass through as needed, acknowledge that this is moment of suffering and offer yourself some kindness, such as a hand on your heart, or a kind supportive word with yourself.
2. Set boundaries, it is absolutely okay to set healthy limits on your time, energy and money. You don’t have to say yes to every invitation. Talk to family in advance to set affordable budgets for gifts.
3. Prioritize self-care, schedule time to take of your mind, body and spirit. Talk long walks, work-out, meditate, make time for activities that nourish you.
4. Be realistic, you can’t do it all. Break tasks down and ask yourself is this doable. Ask others for advice or assistance to get tasks done.
5. Make a plan, getting organized helps to feel in control. Make a list of gifts, batch shopping trips, write out all the ingredients for recipes, and prepare ahead where you can.
6. Get out and keep moving, make time to get outside and enjoy the fresh air, move your body and preferably take a fast walk or jog to get your heart pumping.
7. Look for the good, as the year draws to a close it can feel like you have to you’re your head down and focus on getting all the tasks done, this can lead to focusing on problems and on uncompleted tasks. Balance this out by intentionally spending time focusing on what you have achieved so far, what is going well in this moment, and what is good about this moment.
8. Nutrition, take care of your nutrition, limit alcohol consumption and ensure you are drinking enough water. Mild dehydration can lead to lethargy, alcohol is a depressant and a diet lacking in adequate nutrition can leave you feeling unable to meet the challenges in the moment.
9. Sleep, while it might feel that you need to ‘burn the candle at both ends’ to get everything done not having adequate sleep can leave you feeling depleted and lead to depression or anxiety. Reduce screen time before bed and do something relaxing before bed.
10. Ask for help, we can handle so much more when we feel supported. Ask for help from family or friends, whether it’s to make a shopping trip more enjoyable, laugh while cooking together or you want to get something off your chest.
Find strategies that work for you, honour how you feel and take care of your physical, mental and emotional health.