Tips to Beat Holiday Stress

Tis the season to be jolly...and all stressed out! I can feel it. No not stress yet but the potential for stress. Can you?

Holidays are supposed to be a time of peace, love, and fun right? What better place to find ways to beat holiday stress than one of my favorite websites [and book], The Happiness Project. 

The tips are not only for stress free minimal holidays. Try these tips for eveyday life too. 

1. Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major disturber of people’s moods. Jet lag, traveling, parties, and over-excited children all make it hard to get your usual number of hours. Making an effort to get to bed early really pays off.

2. Exercise. Studies show that one of the quickest and surest ways to boost your mood is to exercise. If you’re away from home and can’t do your usual routine, even a short walk will help. Even better, exercise outside, where the sunlight will help improve your mood and focus.

3. Stay in control of your eating. It seems to me that guilt about holiday binging is a major source of the blues. 

4. Take your time; plan ahead. Hurrying to pack, rushing through stores, sprinting to make a flight, last minute picking up – these are sure to put you in a bad mood. Try to give yourself plenty of time to do what you need to do.

5. Learn from the past. What has made you unhappy in years of old? Think back. Avoid your triggers. Don’t do it! Don’t expose yourself to known happiness risks.

6. Make time for real fun. Sometimes holiday vacations, which are supposed to be “fun,” are actually a huge hassle. Figure out ways to have fun. Also, give yourself permission to include time for things YOU like to do. It's ok, even during the holidays and a house full of guests.

7. Fill your heart with love. If you’re heading into a difficult situation, take a moment to think of all the reasons that you’re grateful to your family and friends, and the happy memories you’ve shared.

Figure out what YOU need to do to keep a holiday spirit. 

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What stresses you out during the holidays? What do you do to keep yourself feeling calm and light hearted?

 

Comments

[Julia]

such a great post idea! i love the last point about making time to fill yourself with love. so often i get caught up in the gift aspect of the holidays but honestly i most look forward to the simple spending time with others than anything else :)

[Kyria]

This is a great post. Feeling obligated stresses me out. Whether it's to do things that others want to do, to buy things for others, to spend time with others...all of that can add up to an unhappy holiday!

[Roberta Barnes]

These are all good ways to melt holiday stress. I would like to add number eight to the list which is taking a few minutes to step away from the must do things and simply be in the moment either listening to your breath or guided to finding your solutions http://www.meditationsguided.com”>