The air is getting crisp and the days are getting shorter. The early days of fall are the first signs of excitement and splendor to come. There are also many dynamics that can make the holidays stressful: stress due to putting together the perfect family celebration, holiday bills, losses due to divorce or death in the family, social pressures, more to-do list, deadlines etc
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When you’re struggling with the pressures of the Holiday season here are some things that can help you.
- Set limits: Decide how long you can stay at a party or your parents’ house, and stick to your plan. Know your limits.
- Set a daily calendar: Try to plan your day to balance activities when you are with others and activities when you are alone. Also, maintain a consistent sleeping schedule to make sure you’re at your best physically and emotionally.
- Cope ahead: Preparing for the worst-case scenarios can help when tackling challenging work or family gatherings.
- Meaning: Discover your very OWN meaning for the holidays by asking yourself what you appreciate most (such as making your grandmother’s favorite recipe or going for a walk in the park you enjoyed as a child) and make sure that you focus on it.
- Choose people and places to spend most of your time with that add to your overall mental well-being, rather than deplete and challenge it. You can withstand difficulty for short periods of time, but prolonged periods of stress can quickly compromise your mood and physical being. Its ok to be selective about who and where you spend your time.
- Take care of you: connect with others; rest; and find enjoyment in your activities: make time for exercise.
What would it feel like to focus more of your thoughts on what is good in life? If you have time, consider keeping a gratitude journal, writing down a few lines each day. Reading just a few sentences from your journal before you go to bed and when you wake up can help you to focus on the good in your life. As a way to communicate within the family, some people create a “gratitude bowl” where everyone in the household jots down things they are grateful for on a slip of paper and places them in the container. Read a few of the slips out loud each day when you’re together at meal time or post a note on the refrigerator. My family does this ever year and we always enjoy reading what we wrote from the years before.
Navigating the holidays on top of all of the other daily activities on a normal day can be very stressful. Giving thought to what is truly important for you and your family, can open up opportunities for you to have a less stressful and more satisfying season.
From my family to yours, Happy Holidays!
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