Navigating Holiday Stress with Ease

With Thanksgiving just coming to an end and Christmas right around the corner, it’s no surprise that this exciting time is also filled with dozens of worries and stressors keeping you up at night. This holiday season, keep in mind some simple ways to keep things easy and light and to ensure that your Christmas goes off without a single stress in sight.

PRIORITIZE SELF CARE

It’s easy to get lost in all the work that college piles up during finals season. It is important to remember to prioritize self care through these next few weeks. Whether it’s a quiet moment with a book, a walk in nature, or shopping online with these Black Friday deals, spend some time doing what makes you happy. Without placing any sort of importance on self care and alone time to just relax, you’ll slowly feel yourself losing your grip and spiraling out of control. To avoid any of those disastrous events happening, place just as strong of an emphasis on your self care as you do your school work and assignments. 

ORGANIZE, DELEGATE & BE REALISTIC

There is a lot to do this holiday season, and keeping track of everything can be stressful. Creating a holiday to-do list can help break down and delegate tasks easier. Even sharing responsibilities with friends and family can help lighten the load. Create checklists whenever you can, and take advantage of apps like the Notes app or Notion on your phone to organize every event you have this holiday season. But do keep in mind, even with all of this organizing, you still won’t be able to accomplish everything, and that’s okay! Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your friends and family. No one expects you to do it all. Stay motivated but be realistic and don’t stretch yourself too thin.

BUDGET WISELY

With all the gift giving this holiday season it’s easy to fall into financial stress. Something as simple as keeping track of your expenses can relieve some of that stress and keep you financially responsible this Christmas. Calculating an amount that you can responsibly spend is vital in preventing financial stress. Rather than buying a single gift for every single friend and family member, suggest activities like Secret Santa to help out your wallet, but also to ensure your gift recipient gets something meaningful that you put genuine thought and effort into. It’s okay to not be able to buy all the expensive things you want this holiday season. Protecting your wallet and peace of mind is just as important.

EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONS & MINDFUL PRACTICES

Perfection isn’t the goal. Embracing imperfections in holiday plans and celebrations can stop you from fixating on them, which will end up ruining your holiday experience. Mindful practices such as meditation or deep breathing exercises can be tools in managing stress. They can easily be integrated into daily routines to promote overall well-being. Simple things such as taking a deep breath and counting to ten when you feel overwhelmed can calm you down and prevent you from making rash decisions.

CELEBRATE THE SIMPLE JOYS

At the end of the day, what makes the holidays so special is for that chance to connect with your loved ones. Don’t lose track of the simple pleasures of the holidays, whether that be a delicious cup of hot chocolate while snuggled up watching your favorite holiday movies or making a gingerbread house with friends and family. Try not to get carried away with the expectations of the holiday season and enjoy the little things.