How to deal with holiday stress

I don’t know about you, but as much as I love the holidays, I also find them to be incredibly stressful. Stress is hard enough to deal with as it is, but feeling stressed out at a time when you are meant to be enjoying yourself is so much worse. To top it off, we are in the middle of a pandemic, making life that much harder on all of us. Despite all the stress, we can all still have a wonderful holiday season. Here are a few ways to deal with holiday pandemic stress.

The first way to deal with holiday stress is to let yourself recognize that it’s okay to be stressed during the holidays. It’s disappointing that you can’t just feel completely happy at the holidays, but it’s unavoidable. Allowing yourself the space to recognize your feelings can help you cope with stress. Try to shift your thinking so that instead of feeling disappointed, you can accept that things aren’t perfect, and begin to focus on what you are grateful for. Doing this can help ease your stress and help you enjoy your holiday season more.

Another way to deal with holiday stress is to plan to do something fun and holiday-themed with a friend or family member. The pandemic has limited what we are all able to do, but you can still celebrate the season safely. Watch a movie with roommates. Or do caroling virtually with friends via video chat. You can also send out holiday cards with your family. I like getting my cards from Basic Invite. You can use pictures from a pre-covid trip for your cards. Or take a few pictures in your house instead. That would really capture the pandemic spirit, and would be a ton of fun. However you plan to celebrate the holiday season, be sure to enjoy yourself.

A final way to handle stress this holiday season is to do activities that help you relax. Try yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises. If you feel that you really must get out of the house, try to go somewhere you’ll be able to social distance properly. Try taking a walk or a run in the park. You can also drive around town and look at all the Christmas lights. If you live near a drive-in movie theater, you could go out and see a movie. Failing that, you can always eat out at a drive through. Getting out of the house or trying calming exercises can really help with stress. Just relax and try something that sounds interesting to you.

Even though it’s difficult to deal with holiday stress, you can ease your anxieties by relaxing, having fun, and recognizing your feelings of nervousness. I hope you and yours have a wonderful, calming, holiday season.