Tips for Managing Holiday Stress & Anxiety

Hello Precious Ones! 

This time of the year, most of my life-coaching is centered around stress from Hallothanksmas (the period between Thanksgiving and the Holidays). Yes, it has got it's own urban dictionary mention. 

Circumstances, priorities & meaning of the holiday season changes all the time from the ebb and flow of routine living. New additions to the family via either birth, marriage, loss through divorce, travel or death, health concerns, children's activities or changing preferences, job loss or career changes, diverse living arrangements, emptying nest or retirement. These bring along with it a need to change the usual way we celebrate.

Four simple tips I give my clients have helped. Hope they help you have a Happy You & Yours.

• Manage expectations of yourself and that others may have (vis-a-vis the perfect holiday photo/letter, greeting cards on time, gifting everyone, 3 course festive spread with perfect pineapple glazed ham, etc) - List them out. Get your thoughts clear on them. 

 

• Sort - match your must-dos with those around you. Frequently that alone is illuminating enough. What might be stressing you might not even rate top 3 of someone else's list! Together come up with different/creatively ways to get the ones that matter done.

 

• Get the family involved - Have conversations ahead of time with immediate loved ones about top traditions that mean holidays to them  and match them with yours. Get everyone on-board with how things might be different this year. You may be the only one in your family working on your stuff - communication, boundaries and saying no. So the struggle is real. Be kind to yourself and don't abandon your complete routine. Doing familiar things will keep your brain from freaking out.

 

• Be prepared - for non-cooperation from certain family/friends :)). Predictability is your ally here. Let respect rule; for your limitations and for other people's too. You cannot please everyone.

The holidays seem extra overwhelming because it is a focussed time of applying the skills we need all year through. Prioritizing, setting boundaries, financial budgeting, saying no assertively, knowing your limits, self-esteem and applying strategies from your tool kit for when they are needed. 

We only have so much time, energy and money. Happy Holidays calls for managing them mindfully without guilt (feeling like you did something wrong) and shame (feeling YOU are wrong or bad at the core).

Self care is not selfish. It is key to everyone having a quality festive time. You have a choice. Choose Happi! 

Cheers, Cheryl.