Holiday Stress Can Be A Burden In The Middle Of A Coronavirus Pandemic

It’s supposed to be the holiest, jolliest time of the year - so why are you feeling so glum?

Holiday stress has a tendency to get to all of us, and with the added burden of the coronavirus pandemic, you definitely wouldn't be to blame if you’re feeling a bit under the weather this year.

However, too much stress at any time of the year - holidays and pandemic aside - isn’t good for anybody’s health. Consider these physical and mental health tips to help you combat holiday stress - and so that you can truly enjoy the time spent with family and friends.

Doing Too Much

One of the best tips you can follow when it comes to minimizing holiday stress? Just do less. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when your days are filled with activities meant to please others - from sending holiday cards to shopping, cooking to attending parties. Take care of yourself by saying no to the events that don’t matter as much to you.

However, it is important that you try to stick with your daily routine as much as possible. Prioritize things like workouts and hobbies and do your best not to let the holidays totally take over your life.

We know you’re busy already - but there is one thing you should put at the top of your to-do list this holiday season. Exercise. Exercise will help calm your body and mind, making it easier for you to tackle the next day’s challenges.  

Any kind of exercise will do, but walking is particularly helpful. It has a tranquilizing effect on the brain and can help reduce anxiety and improve your sleep. It will also help when you’ve eaten just a little bit too much at the Thanksgiving Day table and are feeling a bit overstuffed. Try to squeeze in at least thirty minutes of exercise (even if that’s just a brisk walk) each day. 

The key here is to remember moderation. You can fight holiday stress by keeping your life balanced. Too many activities - even fun holiday activities - can make you feel overwhelmed instead of happy.

Eating, Drinking, Spending Too Much

It’s a season of excess - but try not to live out that stereotype too much. There are all kinds of parties for you to attend, things to drink, snacks to eat, and gifts to buy - and it’s very easy to take it too far.

However enjoyable these things might be in the moment, do your best to limit them as well as you can. Overindulging might feel good temporarily, but it will leave you with consequences that will linger long after the holidays have ended.

Too Much Togetherness

No matter how much of an extrovert you might be, the holidays can be overwhelming in that they pressure you to be together all the time. Too much togetherness can have serious consequences, and believe it or not, it is possible to overdose on family time. This makes it difficult for you to truly enjoy the bonding time and to get enough alone time, something that’s crucial for truly feeling relaxed.

To avoid this common pitfall of the holidays, try to make yourself aware of your limitations. Recall previous years and think about when it was that you reached your breaking point. How much time did you spend with friends and family before you started feeling stress?

Try not to let yourself get to that point this year. Can you limit how many parties you attend - or how much time you spend at each? Can you avoid gatherings with difficult relatives?

Not Enough Togetherness

At the same time, some people struggle from not enough togetherness during the holidays. If you recently lost a family member or perhaps a partner, the holidays may remind you of your feelings of loneliness. It may seem like the rest of the world is gathering and celebrating without you.

This is particularly true this year, as the stressors of the coronavirus pandemic have made it nearly impossible for many people to gather. This can lead to extreme feelings of loneliness, especially if you’re used to gathering and being surrounded by friends and family in previous years.

Just as you need to take steps to combat feelings of too much togetherness during the holidays, there are also things you can do to limit feelings of not enough togetherness. If you experience periods of loneliness during the holidays, are there ways you can get together with friends in a safe way? Can you volunteer? These experiences will not only be fulfilling but they will help you focus less on what you don’t have and more on what you do.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder impacts millions of Americans each year. This depressive condition results from a lack of exposure to natural sunlight, which stimulates the production of serotonin (you know, the chemical that makes you feel good!).

This disorder rears its ugly head as daylight diminishes and more people begin spending time indoors. A serious condition, it can cast a pall over the entire winter season and lead to stress and unhappiness at what’s supposed to be the happiest time of the year.  

Seasonal affective disorder can be especially pronounced during the holidays. The holiday blues are real, and even if you don’t suffer from diagnosed seasonal affective disorder, holiday depression and stress can affect just about anyone. In fact, according to research by the American Psychological Association, 38% of people said their stress levels increase during the holidays.

In order to reduce the impacts of SAD, spend as much time as you can outside on sunny days. If you can’t make it outside, plop yourself near a window. You can also ask your doctor about phototherapy, which is a treatment that uses a box emitting full-spectrum light to help you feel better.

Do what you can to get enough sleep, too, as this can worsen feelings of depression. While you can take steps to get enough shut-eye naturally, there are drugs that can help, too. 5-HTP is a plant extract that you can purchase at many drugstores, and it’s said to reduce feelings of anxiety, increase serotonin, and improve your sleep. Aim for 150 milligrams a day but talk to your doctor first if you’re already on antidepressants.

Minimizing Holiday Stress

Fortunately, holiday stress is predictable, so you should do your best to minimize it before it becomes problematic. You know when holiday stress will begin and also when it will end - so start making plans now to reduce the amount of stress that you experience at this time of the year.

Set some priorities and decide which traditions and experiences are the most important to you. Do you love going to parties but hate baking? Buy the store-bought pie and call it good enough. Do you enjoy visiting relatives but hate sending cards? Send an email well wishes instead. There are all kinds of ways for you to minimize holiday stress, but you should start by examining your priorities and figuring out which ones are the most important for you to do.

Even if you aren't willing to totally cut certain traditions out of your holiday season, you can feel free to take a few shortcuts. Keep the activities in your schedule but do so on a smaller scale. Send those Christmas cards but limit your list to people with whom you communicate regularly. Give baked goods, but don’t bake them yourself - buy them from your favorite bakery. Do only what’s most important to you.

Still feeling stressed? Why not give acupressure a try? Acupressure is beneficial for relieving all kinds of conditions but is especially helpful when it comes to stress relief. Apply firm pressure to the fleshy spot between your thumb and index finger - this will work wonders at helping you calm down when you’re feeling overwhelmed by the holiday chaos.

Take the time to set a schedule and write down everything you need to do. Be realistic and include activities you’d normally leave out, like driving time or sleeping. You need to make time for logistics - and for yourself. Writing everything down will help you see if you are trying to cram too many activities into too short a time block. This can prevent you from becoming overwhelmed later on.

Whenever possible, plan ahead for your stressors. If you know that there are certain family members that make you feel stressed, plan out an elevator pitch you can deliver when they start making your cortisol rise with their question, like “how’s your job going?” or “still not seeing anyone?” Focus on your own behavior, rather than that of your irritating relatives. Yes, you might want them to change - but that’s not something you can control.  

One more tip? Forget perfection. Try not to obsess over doing everything perfectly. If dinner is on the table a few minutes late or your mantle is a little bit dusty, chances are, nobody is even going to notice - let alone care. Focus your holiday energies on spending time with and enjoying the people in your life, and try not to sweat the small stuff.

Try to let go of some of the pressures to stick to old traditions, too, especially when those traditions are no longer serving you or your family. Abandoning an old tradition in favor of a new custom can be a great way to start afresh this holiday season!

Be Smart With Holiday Eating

Needless to say, at this time of the year, you want to both look and feel your best. That’s hard to do when you’re surrounded by so many delicious treats, though! Plus, you’re likely taking a break from your regular routine (although you should try to avoid it, if you can, with the steps we mentioned above!).

All the physical, mental, and emotional stresses of the holiday can lead to emotional eating and overeating. Do your best to make yourself aware of your triggers and take steps to avoid them. Have healthy food on hand for every meal, even if it’s just a few veggies on your Thanksgiving Day plate. Be aware of your intake and try not to eat to the point of being overstuffed.

Breathe

Do you find that your chest feels tight and your head feels dizzy every time you think about your holiday plans? If that’s the case, it might be time to slow down and take a few deep breaths. When we are stressed, we often forget to take deep breaths to provide ourselves with the oxygen we need.

While stopping to do a deep breathing meditation is the best way to center yourself and get to feeling back on track, simply stopping to take a few deep, cleansing breaths each day will also reduce your levels of stress.

To take your breathing to the next level, add some essential oils or other healing fragrances. Depression researchers have discovered that there are certain aromas, like citrus, that can help you feel better and alleviate stress by increasing levels of norepinephrine in your body.

How To Minimize Your Stress This Holiday Season

The takeaway of all of these holiday mental health tips? At the end of the day, it’s important to focus on what brings you happiness during this season. Do your best to maximize those moments and minimize those that leave you feeling less than fulfilled. Whether it’s eating well, getting enough sleep, or simply relaxing by yourself, go into the holidays with the goal of minimizing your stress.  

Don’t focus too much on the stressors - and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be a holly jolly all the time, either. These kinds of expectations will only leave you feeling deflated when they don’t turn out the way you wanted them to.

From the shopping to the parties, the unending litany of criticisms from the in-laws to the stress of holiday decorating, the holidays make it easy to feel overwhelmed. However, these expert-backed tips will help you make it through the most wonderful time of the year actually feeling wonderful - no Xanax required.

Karen A Mulvey is a personal social blogger and mom with 14 years of experience in the every day world of motherhood and sustainable product research. Karen is on a mission to help everyday families select sustainable, non-toxic organic products, stop stressing about uncertainties on sustainable home goods and apparel, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.

Follow Karen at @karenAmulveycs | Karen A Mulvey

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