The holidays should be a time of excitement, joy, and love. However, with all the hustle and bustle of traveling, unwelcome guests, parties, shopping, cooking, and cleaning, this time of peace and joy turns to stress. You may be in need of a vacation… after the holidays!

As you know, some paramount trigger points of holiday stress are relationships, finances, and physical demands such as shopping, attending gatherings, and preparing meals.

Here are some preventative strategies for holiday stress.

• Acknowledge your feelings. If you aren’t near your loved ones or a loved one has died recently, it is ok to feel sad or grieve. Take time to cry or express your feelings. You cannot force yourself to be happy just because it is the holidays.
• Seek support. If you are feeling sad or depressed, seek out family or friends, community, or religious or social services for support and companionship. Consider volunteering. Get involved. Helping others can lift your spirits. If you need help cooking or cleaning for the holiday gatherings, ask for it. You don’t have to do everything alone.
• Be realistic. Families grow, and traditions usually don’t stay the same! Understand that some things are no longer possible.
• Set differences aside. Even if family or friends don’t live up to all your expectations, try to accept them as they are. Do not pick the holidays as a time for a heated discussion. If others get upset or distressed when something does not go right, they may be feeling the effects of holiday stress, too.
• Stick to a budget. Before you go shopping, decide how much you can afford to spend on gifts. If you don’t stick to a budget, you may become to feel anxious and tense.
• Plan ahead. Schedule specific times for shopping, baking, and other activities. Plan your meals and make one huge shopping trip. Allow additional time for travel, in case of delays.
• Learn to say no. People will understand if you cannot do certain things. Only agree to activities if you really want to do them and you feel like you have time for them.
• Don’t abandon healthy habits. Most of the time, holidays become a dietary free-for-all. Some indulgence is OK, but over-stuffing only adds to that stress.
• Take a breather. Set aside “YOU” time. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without any distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do.
• Rethink resolutions. Only set goals that are realistic. Try to return to basic, healthy lifestyle routines. Go with the resolutions that you feel are valuable and provide happiness.
• Forget about perfection. Holiday TV specials are filled with happy endings. But most of our lives aren’t exactly like those movies. Something always comes up. You may get stuck at the office, are late for your child’s holiday performance, or your sister may bring up another argument. Expect and accept imperfections.
• Seek professional help if you need it. Even though you have tried, you may find yourself persistently sad or anxious. If these feelings last for weeks, talk to a doctor or mental health professional.

Remember: Accept that things won’t always go as planned. Take active steps to manage stress and depression during the holidays. You may enjoy the holidays more this year than you thought you could! Happy Holidays!

Sources: Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.com; InteliHealth, “Holiday Stress”, www.intelihealth.com; Mark Sichel, LCSW “10 Tips for Coping with Holiday Stress”