Holiday Harmony: Tips for Stress-Free Celebrations
Do the holidays bring you enjoyment or exasperation? Peace or pressure? Is it a blessed time with family and friends or a burden that you cannot wait to get through?
If the holidays bring you any amount of stress or anxiety…. here are some tips for navigating the season:
Practice self-care – Self-care is important every day of the year, but even more so during the holidays. Self-care helps you manage stress, lower cortisol levels, strengthen the immune system and increase energy levels.
Set boundaries – You get to say NO. NO to spending the extra time at holiday gatherings, NO to hosting the family get together for the third year in a row, NO to decorations you dread putting up and taking down. Boundaries help you feel safe in your environment and maintain a healthy relationship with yourself and others.
Don’t overspend – If you buy gifts for others, set a budget and stick to it. Money and gifts do not buy happiness, respect or love. If you feel like you need to give more…. try giving your time to a loved one, your talent to a charity or your love in the form of a smile and thank you to the retail employees working extra hours.
Start new – If old traditions feel overwhelming or outdated, start a new one. Just because ‘something has always been done this way’ doesn’t mean it is fun or meant for the current time. Honor your and your family’s needs in THIS moment and create new traditions that are fun, full of ease and create joy.
Honor yourself and others – Be mindful of your own values and beliefs as well as the values and beliefs of others. Appreciate others for who they are…. agree to disagree and keep politics out of conversations.
