Whether it’s a holiday dinner party or preparing for the big day itself, the holiday season can bring a lot of joy but a lot of stress as well. Learning to navigate and take control of stress during this time is essential. We all need to maintain some sense of well-being and enjoy the festivities to its fullest. Here are a few practical strategies to ensure that you can manage the stress during the holiday season.
Be Ready for the Unknown
When we are feeling the stress, it can seem that anything can tip us over the edge. Therefore, we need to look at the worst-case scenarios and ensure that we are actually ready for them or, at the very least, know what we can do if something like the refrigerator breaks down. You can easily get replacement refrigerator parts here, as well as through other suppliers, but you should also have contact details for the emergency contractors who can save the day. Being proactive will always ensure that we are ready for whatever challenge comes our way, and more importantly, we can provide swift and effective solutions that allow us to focus on the festivities.
Practice the Right Mindfulness Techniques for You
One of the biggest stressors in the holiday season is that feeling of being on the go constantly. Therefore, you might be thinking it is not productive in the slightest to stop and meditate for 15 to 20 minutes while there is a flurry of chaos in your household! However, you need to find time away from the chaos and preferably when everybody is asleep to take part in those practices that will help center yourself. We should all feel the benefits of this wonderful season, and therefore, understanding the best techniques to calm you down, but also the little tools and tactics that ensure you can get back to baseline during a tough time are essential. Take a look at this link from Therapy in a Nutshell, and it shows you how to control that fight-or-flight response through some simple tactics. But be sure to practice them away from those stressful moments too. Being calm is ultimately a practice.
Set Realistic Expectations
If there’s one thing we can all benefit from knowing, it’s the acronym SMART. Things should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, even in life. While this acronym is commonly associated with setting goals or business, we need to remember that there are a lot of unrealistic expectations, and we should embrace the spirit of the season without feeling the burden of something that’s completely unattainable. We can use this acronym in every part of our celebrations, from gifts to decorations, and gatherings- there is no need for perfection.
Taking control of our stress is as much about understanding our triggers as it is about having the ability to plan and prioritize. We should always prevent any of those surprises that cause stress at the last possible second. Stress can be a default setting for some people over the holiday season, but in January, when you look back on how you felt and regret that you didn’t enjoy the festivities more, these tools could have served you very well. So try them out.
