How To Effectively Manage Stress During The Holiday Season

The end of the year is approaching, which means the holiday season is around the corner. The holidays are often portrayed as a time of joy and positivity as we celebrate the year we have had while looking forward to the next. When we think of the holidays, we think of celebrations with family and friends and honouring cultural traditions. However, the holiday season can also be a harbinger of stress for many people.

Socialisation demands, financial pressure, extra responsibilities, and even dealing with grief during the holidays can cause many people to feel overwhelmed and stressed during the festive season (Gilette, 2022). Psychotherapy services have seen clients who feel extra stressed or depressed over the holiday period for various reasons. Regardless of the reason behind your stress, it is not uncommon to experience symptoms of depression despite the holiday cheer. Below are some tips to help you ease the stress during this holiday season:

1. Set your priorities

Before you get overwhelmed with too many activities, decide which traditions offer the biggest positive impact and eliminate the unnecessary ones. If you have duties to carry out during the holidays, such as cooking, shopping, sending cards or visiting relatives, try to examine your priorities and ask yourself if the activities that cause you distress are a ‘must’. Being open to trying out new traditions that may bring you more joy could also impact you positively.

2. Simplify your chores

If you cannot let go of the additional chores that come with the holidays, such as sending cards, buying gifts, baking, and meeting people, you may do better by including all these activities in your schedule, but on a smaller scale. Try to simplify as much as you can. You may enjoy the activities that are important to you and your family more if you find ways to cut corners or tone them down so that you can enjoy them. For example, send cards only to those you have regular contact with. You can also avoid including a personal note or letter on each card. In the same way, it might be beneficial to you if you buy baked goods from the bakery instead of baking them from scratch.

3. Self-care

A person who practices self-care treats themselves with kindness, forgiveness, and consideration. Taking care of yourself during the holiday period is of utmost importance. Self-care includes acknowledging your feelings, eating healthy foods, resting when needed, staying active and maintaining a support network (Boyd, 2022).

It is also essential to take deep breaths and give our bodies the oxygen it needs. The best way to reduce your level of negative stress is to take a few deep, cleansing breaths when you are alone. Taking just ten minutes to do a breathing meditation will help in reducing stress, as it allows the mind to take a pause from negative thinking. The positive effects of this exercise will be even more significant if you visualise breathing in serenity and breathing out stress (Scott, 2022).

Conclusion

The holidays can be a time when we focus on others more than ourselves. It is common to put our mental and physical well-being on the back burner when we are too busy thinking about the needs of our loved ones. When stress gets too much for you to handle, it is also advisable to seek help from an adult counselling service in Singapore. Additionally, while preparing for the busy gift-giving season, check on yourself now and then to ensure that you are not overexerting yourself and always include some time for self-care.

References

Gilette, H. (2022). 5 Tips to Cope with Holiday Depression https://psychcentral.com/depression/tips-to-cope-with-holiday-depression

Boyd, CF. (2022). 5 Tips to Cope with Holiday Depression https://psychcentral.com/depression/tips-to-cope-with-holiday-depression

Scott, E. (2022). Managing the Seemingly Inevitable Holiday Season Stress https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-and-managing-holiday-stress-3145230