While the holiday season is supposed to be joyous, it can also be incredibly stressful. If you’ll be hosting any type of event, you’ll probably feel this holiday stress even more intensely. There are so many things to do: gifts to buy, houses to decorate, food to cook . . . Not to mention that you often need to spend time with people you don’t get along with very well. Add the fact that we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and the stress levels might just be too much to handle!
Luckily, there are a few ways to reduce holiday stress! So, take a deep breath, remember that the holidays will pass, and keep reading to find out how you can relax during such a stressful period.
Gardening
Yes, you read that right. Gardening is widely seen as a good method of relaxing. There’s just something about being outside in nature and creating something beautiful. Plus, it helps make your home look beautiful for when you have guests over, so it’s a win-win! Once your garden is looking beautiful, you can constantly return to it during the holiday when you need a moment of peace and quiet. If you really want to up your relaxation factor, you can even add some water features for your patio or garden. If you live somewhere that’s too cold for gardening outside, take it indoors with a DIY terrarium!
Set up a budget
Another reason why holiday stress can get out of hand is the added financial strain. Between the gifts and the decadent food, you’ll be spending way more than you do in an average month. That’s why setting up a holiday budget is so important. You need to make a list of expenses and then plan how much you’d reasonably be able to spend on each aspect. If the end result seems a bit high, try and find areas where you can cut back. You can always make a few homemade gifts instead of gifting store bought items. This will help give you a little bit more financial freedom while also allowing you to give a thoughtful gift.
Get your shopping done early
Few things on this earth are more chaotic than a shopping mall in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Everyone (and I do mean everyone) is in the shops, looking for the perfect gift. It’s busy and overwhelming and all of the good gifts are usually sold out, so you might have to settle for something less than perfect. Then of course there’s the fact that you’ll possibly have to spend hours in line. Talk about holiday stress! I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound ideal to me. Instead, make a list of gifts you want to buy and get them bought as soon as possible, before the classic holiday madness hits the stores.
Treat yourself
After all of your hard work, you deserve to do something for yourself as well. So often we focus on pleasing everyone else during the holiday season, and we end up forgetting about taking care of ourselves in the process. It is therefore important to do something nice for yourself. This could mean taking a break and going to a spa or going away for a weekend. Or it could mean just taking a few days to recover from all the holiday stress, and spending those days doing absolutely nothing. You could even spoil yourself by buying yourself a gift as well, as a reward for all your efforts.
Spend some time alone
You might be asking yourself why this is important, but the truth is that it will probably keep you from burning out. Compared to the rest of the year, we tend to socialize a lot more during the holiday season, which can be incredibly taxing for some people. It is therefore important to take some time to spend with only yourself as company, so that you can deal with the effects of all the holiday stress from socializing and recharge before the next time you have to interact with people. This is especially important for introverts and the best way to de-stress during the holidays!
Talk about your feelings
Being honest about how you feel can be hard, but it’s often necessary. Especially during the holiday season, when you feel so pressured. If someone is asking too much of you or you don’t have the mental capacity to deal with something, you need to be honest about it. You’re probably not the only one feeling the effects of the season, so it might help to open up about it and realize you’re not alone. Communicate your feelings clearly but remain calm and polite. It will probably feel like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders.
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