5 Tips For A Stress-Free Holiday Season

Yes You Can Have Make Your Holiday Season More Fun This Year

The holiday season is supposed to be a celebration, rest and spending time with your loved ones. However, holidays can be chaotic and take away from that joy you’re supposed to feel. With the shopping, budgeting, cooking and never ending task lists, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are some ways to be as stress-free as possible for the upcoming holiday season. When you have your priorities set and plans in place, you will enjoy your holidays more.

1. Plan Effectively

Without a sound plan, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of the holidays. Take control of your holidays with a list of holiday to-dos you need to tackle. Prioritize what’s most important and check the items off as you complete them. Physically checking off items can give you a sense of satisfaction and keep you moving forward. Lists can give you direction and keep things organized, making them less intimidating and easier to tackle.

Consider making separate lists to ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed. You can make a list for cooking that includes everything you plan to cook for the holidays and the ingredients you need for each dish. You can also list things you want to do around the house to prepare yourself and your family for the busy season. Once you have a plan, you can set deadlines and provide guidelines.

2. Stay Healthy With Self-Care Essentials

Staying healthy can be challenging during the holiday season with all the delicious foods involved with the season. You must put yourself first and maintain a healthy balance to keep yourself in check and minimize stress. You can try a few things to stay healthy during the holidays. Take time to rest and dream and take care of yourself. No-task times can lift your mood when pressure to get things done get out of control.

Even if your workout routine is interrupted, squeeze in some time for a quick walk or go to bed a little earlier than usual. When you aren’t taking care of your physical health, your mental health can suffer. Find time in the chaos to consume healthier foods to maintain balance and to process the emotions that come with the holiday season efficiently.

3. Establish Boundaries With Friends and Loved Ones

Boundaries are essential during the holidays. If you are dreading a tradition or other obligations during the holidays, change them. Take control of your schedule and eliminate things that don’t bring you joy. Holiday activities should provide nourishment and comfort, not drain or deplete you. Protect yourself from something you know will stress you out.

Say no and mean it and don’t feel guilty for doing so. Your boundaries exist for a reason, so do yourself a favor and cut ties with people or activities that aren’t good for your health or your soul. Healthy boundaries can improve your health and make your relationships stronger. Explain how you feel and why your boundaries are important. When your loved ones respect your boundaries, it can reinforce your trust and respect for them.

4. Shop Smart And Don’t Overspend On Gifting

One of the significant stressors of the holidays is how much they can drain your wallet. You can remedy this by making a budget and sticking to it. Limiting your spending during the holidays can be challenging, but it’s essential to your mental health and bank account.

Make a list of people you want to shop for, what you might want to get them and how much you’re willing to spend. Budgeting can help you avoid impulse buying and splurging too much. Stick to your budget and shop smart by looking for opportunities to save money during Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Find creative ways to save money, like signing up for loyalty programs and becoming a member to receive membership-related discounts. Throw away your shopping list if you need to. Money doesn’t buy happiness and your loved ones will understand. Shake things up by treating your family to an experience rather than material possessions. Experiences can give your family memories to cherish for years and make them happier than tangible gifts in the long run.

5. Focus on What Counts

Examine your task list and remove anything that no longer brings you joy and excitement. Does it matter if you bake all of the cookies you usually do during the holidays? Does it still bring you joy or feel like another obligation you don’t want to do? What do you genuinely want to celebrate? Take the time to mark off things that don’t fuel you and make time for the things that do.

Practice self-care and prepare for the holiday season by doing things that matter to you. Begin keeping a gratitude journal to help you reflect on the things you’re thankful for this season. If spending time with your loved ones is what makes you happy, ensure that you carve out time for them rather than getting sucked into the hustle and bustle of holiday traffic and neverending lists of things you’d instead not do.

Keeping Your Holiday Season Stress-Free

The hectic holiday season can be difficult for anyone struggling with personal challenges. Make the most of your holidays by utilizing these tips to keep your holidays as stress-free as possible.

By Ava Roman. Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life.