Ways To Deal With Holiday Stress

Halloween signals the start of the holiday season. Holidays bring with it the tradition of giving gifts. The holidays see a plethora of aggressive marketing strategies. Holiday parties are common during Halloween. These parties and the festive spirit continue until Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Although the holiday season brings feelings of love and happiness, it can usher stressful events as well. According to the results of an online poll, more than 80% of the individuals found the holiday season to be stressful from ‘somewhat’ to ‘very’. This makes holidays as stressful as asking for a salary hike.

What are the causes of Holiday Stress?

• Overdoing
  Follow the maxim to practice all things in moderation. The holidays bring too much of things that give us the momentary thrills. Stress is crucial for survival. But, not managed in time can lead to physical and psychological effects. The positive stress has been called ‘eustress’. Abundance of activities during the holidays can lead to holiday stress. This can cause exhaustion rather than happiness.

• Excess Merry-making
  Eating, drinking and merry-making should not exceed limits. Overindulgence in calorie-rich desserts and alcoholic beverages can have harmful effects such as weight gain and embarrassing behavior of drunkenness. People tend to overspend during the holidays, which can lead to financial debt. This can last well beyond the holiday season.

• Loved Ones and Friends
  Holidays are synonymous with family get-togethers. This can be a timeless exercise in family bonding. But if overdone some couples will have to sacrifice spending quality time together. Also, most families require each member to fulfill certain duties. This can lead to family discord when individuals do not fit into the role assigned.

• Loneliness
  Individuals who live alone and who do not have any financial commitments face the tough challenge of loneliness. As holidays seem to be centered around the family, those who depend on friends for support are more vulnerable to loneliness.

• Seasonal Affective Disorder
  As the season changes from autumn to winter, it ushers in new problems. The decrease in the daylight time would force people indoors. A common type of depression that occurs during this period is called seasonal affective disorder or SAD. The symptoms are slight, but the disorder can cause unwanted stress and unhappiness during the holiday season.

Reducing Holiday Stress

Unlike all other stressful events that we undergo in our life, holiday stress is predictable. We know exactly when holiday stress will start and end. Therefore, we can take adequate measures to prevent its effects.

The following are some of the tips that are useful to keep holiday stress under control and to prevent it from getting overwhelming:

• Prioritize Yourself
  Before routine activities turn into overwhelming ones, it is important to know the importance of each activity and plan accordingly. For instance, a build-up of events such as baking, singing carols, shopping, sending greeting cards, visiting loved ones can leave one exhausted. Hence, it is important to know which activities to sacrifice and which to indulge in.

• Cutting Corners
  If you find yourself in the position where you are unable to sacrifice any activities, it would be a good idea to indulge in them to a smaller scale. Send greeting cards, but limit them to those who are very close. Find simple ways to perform difficult tasks. For instance, instead of baking goods at home, buy them from the bakery. Learning ways to save time and energy will give you more time to spend with your family and enhance your levels of happiness.

• Lower your Expectations
  It is important to know your limitations when it comes to family and close friends. Go back in time and find out how close-knitted your family was. The deciding factor would be if you are able to cut down the number of parties you attend and throw. Also the time spent with your family will determine your energy levels and chances of exhaustion. In addition, while dealing with relatives that are hard to please it is vital to learn when to say ‘no’. Those experiencing loneliness during the holiday season should bring along friends at the home. If everyone is busy, do not be shy to volunteer your time and energy to those who are less fortunate in life. Most people doing voluntary work find extreme happiness at the end of the day. This would mean laying emphasis on what you have and not what you are lacking.

• Plan Properly
  Making a plan or schedule will help you to recognize how realistic your goals are. With appropriate time management you will know which activities to include and which to leave out. Begin your schedule with activities that are most important. In this way, you will be able to leave out activities of lesser importance. Include activities such as walking and other physical exercise to minimize symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. If weather plays spoilsport, spend time leaning out of your window to gain some sunlight.

• Breathing Exercises
  This sounds too simple, but in reality we fail to take deep breaths regularly. This deprives the body of the oxygen that we need. Ten minutes of meditation is all it takes to get into a positive frame of mind. Positive visualizations while breathing will only enhance the effects of deep breathing. The holidays can bring love and joy in your life with effective planning and certain changes to your lifestyle. It will also lead to a sense of fulfillment rather than exhaustion and fatigue.

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