Overcoming Holiday Stress: 10 Simple Ways to Embrace the Season

While the holidays are known as a time for togetherness, making new memories, savoring old traditions, and giving and receiving from those we love, they can also be a time of pressure, overwhelming feelings, and tightly packed schedules. 

Unfortunately, the most important part about the holiday season is often overlooked and takes a back seat to all the to-dos…

And it is joy. 

Whether you have children or are looking to recreate the nostalgic and familiar magic that comes with Christmas, you might relate to this seasonal pressure of wanting everything to be “perfect” for the holidays. 

Even with all the warmth of family and friends, there is all too often an undeniable cloud of stress that comes just beyond the beauty and excitement of these special times. 

So, in the spirit of bringing more joy into your holidays this year, I wanted to share these 10 simple ways you can leave holiday stress in the past, and lean into fun and joy this holiday season.

1. Plan Downtime 

The first way you can avoid stress and burnout during the holiday season is by planning downtime. Prioritizing self-care is essential, so whatever that looks like to you, don’t skip it. You cannot pour from an empty cup as they say, so, if you want to radiate holiday magic with your family and friends, be sure you are taking care of you first. 

We are all guilty of overloading our schedules during these times. So, just be mindful and make sure you will have enough time to yourself to wind down. Because if you don’t, and you spend your entire Christmas break running from one thing to the next, you’ll likely find yourself burnt out by the end. Then, when it’s time to return to work, you will be going back feeling exhausted rather than inspired and rejuvenated for the year ahead. 

2. Gift Exchange

Another way that you can avoid stress and burnout this holiday season is by implementing a gift exchange with your family, like using Secret Santa or White Elephant. These are both ways that you can take the stress of gift-giving out of it and make it a little more fun and financially accessible for everyone. The stress you will avoid with less shopping, wrapping, and all the things that come with buying gifts for everyone will give you more time for what truly matters.  

3. Know When to Say No

To avoid holiday stress, learn to say “no” when your intuition tells you not to commit to something, even if you feel obligated. If the energy feels more like “I have to do that”, or “I should do that”, it probably isn’t something that you really want to do. During this busy time, focus more on things that you are excited about doing and that you want to do, versus what feels like a drag or something that you have to do. It is okay to say no. 

4. Simplify 

Another way to avoid having a completely crazy schedule with absolutely no downtime is to simplify where you can if you normally spend hours baking cookies and pies and all kinds of things because they’re special to Christmas, think about what the holidays really mean to you and what family time really means to you. If you’re spending too much time in the kitchen preparing food, time that you would rather spend either relaxing to fill up your cup or engaging with your family. Consider outsourcing your time spent in the kitchen and maybe buying food or desserts instead to prioritize quality time with loved ones. 

5. Declutter Your Space and Your Mind

Another way to avoid holiday stress is to declutter your space. When you have a mess in your space, it reflects a mess in your mind, and that’s not only because of the mess itself, but it actually sends subconscious messages to your brain, stressing you out even further. So don’t make it a goal to clean your entire house when you’re already very busy, but if you can just tidy up the areas, or at least put some things away so that the area seems a bit cleaner to your eye, that will reduce your stress by a lot, even if it seems like a silly little thing That doesn’t matter, it really does make a difference. 

Decluttering your mind can be done in so many ways. You may choose to create, to meditate, to journal, or to get out in nature. Basically, any way that you can give your brain a chance to let go for just a little is going to create a little more space for peace, grace, and restoration. So, don’t skip it! I even created these journal prompts for you to help you work through your holiday stress and check in with your headspace. You can find that here: 

6. Utilize Aromatherapy

Another way to prioritize self-care during the holidays is to utilize aromatherapy, using fragrances like lavender, eucalyptus and tea tree, send messages to your brain that you are safe and can relax. This is a great practice to do if you might be meditating, doing yoga, taking a nap or even just before bed, sipping on some lavender tea, sipping on some chamomile tea, sipping on some herbal teas of any kind will help to relax your system and let your body know that you’re safe and it’s Okay to relax using scents like cinnamon and vanilla are beautiful for the holiday season because they bring warmth into your house and will help you to feel cozy and relaxed. 

7. Move Your Body 

Because New Year’s is just around the corner. Many of us make excuses that we will start making it a goal to move our body in the new year. But moving your body, even just for a bit, even just for a walk, short, brisk walk outside, a bit of yoga, or maybe a bit more intense training, depending on what you like to do, can make a huge difference, and not for reasons you might think the chemicals in your brain, BDNF, are present in the morning after you exercise. This is your chemical for happiness, focus, all of those kinds of great things that you’re going to need with your busy schedule for the holidays. So don’t overlook a bit of light movement at the minimum. It’s always okay to make five or 10 minutes a day to just move your body and make it an intent. Intention.

8. Focus on Fun

Last, but not least, focus on fun. This is the most important thing you can do this holiday season because rather than focusing on perfection, focusing on all the little details and intricacies that come with planning and executing an excellent fun Christmas event. Having fun yourself should be at the forefront of your priorities, and especially if you’re a host, you might not prioritize your own fun. So this is the most important reminder. Don’t forget to grab the journal prompts to work through your holiday stress and turn it into joy. You can find those at the link below.

   9. Make a Shopping List 

Make a list and stick to it. This will help you avoid the stress of overthinking purchases or succumbing to impulse buys. Plan ahead for gifts, meals, and decorations, and set a budget to prevent overspending. When shopping for children, it’s easy to feel the need to make everything equal–spending the same amount on each child or ensuring they have the exact same number of gifts. And, while this comes from a place of love, it can create unnecessary pressure. Instead, write out a list of thoughtful gifts that reflect each child’s interests and needs, rather than striving for perfect balance. When you have a clear list, shopping becomes less stressful and more efficient. 

10. Set Realistic Expectations

Letting go of the idea that everything must be picture-perfect can help you embrace the beauty in the reality of the holidays. Having expectations of perfectly cooked meals, flawlessly wrapped gifts, and everyone getting along at all times can set you up for stress and disappointment. Instead, try to focus on the things that really matter–being present with your loved ones and enjoying the moment, even when things don’t go according to plan. So, if and when challenges arise, try to allow yourself to still fully enjoy those imperfect moments.

Keep in mind your mental health and self-care during this busy holiday season. When you do, you will be sure to have enough love to pour from your cup and share with others. 

As a gift to your headspace this holiday season, I am offering a guided journal that is free to download. I hope that this journal helps you to reconnect with yourself, and find peace amongst what can sometimes be a chaotic time. You can access the journal here: bit.ly/whisperswithinusholidayjournal

Happy Holidays!