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Tips on Destressing During the Holiday & Winter Season
As we all know the holiday season is a splendid time filled with cheer and joy! However, with these emotions comes stress. The holiday season can cause stress on us for a number of reasons rather it be family, buying presents, or just being busier in general. Whatever may be causing the it is often out of our control, but there are still many things in our control that we can do to relieve some of this stress and make the holidays go just a bit more smoothly. These four tips are things that you can personally do to reduce your stress load during this time.
Tip #1 – Keep your normal health habits you practice throughout the year
This means maintaining as much of your daily routine as possible. If you don’t have a routine yet or your schedule doesn’t allow for one, I strongly suggest getting into a routine as much as possible. Life is full of hard, complex challenges and we need to do the small tasks correctly before we can do the big ones right. It doesn’t really matter what your routine is, just make sure that it is aimed at a goal & it sets you up to be productive. An example of one routine I try to maintain every day is making my bed. Although it may seem small and unimportant, making your bed can drastically change your outlook on life. By making your bed, you achieve a small task that provides you with a sense of accomplishment and may even inspire you to keep completing more. Furthermore, when you come home after a long day, you return to a made bed and once again might feel a sense of accomplishment. Despite how the day went, you have something positive to see when you return home and a token to remind you of your commitment to discipline. Whatever routine makes you feel comfortable and happy in your daily life, make sure to keep and maintain it during this stressful holiday time. Your routine makes you feel comfortable with what you are accustomed to.
Tip #2 – Be Realistic
As we all know, the holiday season is an extremely hectic time filled with family and friend commitments. All these parties and events can often be overwhelming, so it is especially important to be realistic about your time. If you feel that your time capacity is reaching its max and you are overwhelmed, do not hesitate to express that. You know yourself the best and you need to be realistic with your time commitments. You do not need to go to every single event you are invited to. You could end up exhausting yourself and not be able to thoroughly enjoy any of them.
Tip #3 – Take a Walk
It may seem silly, but before you judge it you have to try it. Going for a walk is one of my favorite ways to clear my mind at any time of the year. If you like music as much as I do, bring some along and just enjoy where you are. Oftentimes, life is moving so fast that sometimes we do not get to appreciate what is around us. Moreover, going for a walk with a friend or family member is also an excellent version of this. During your walk, try not to think about anything specifically, unless you have something that demands your attention immediately. If not, clear your mind and set a goal to make observations on your surroundings. Try to notice things that you normally do not notice as you drive by on your way to your busy life. Appreciate nature and the scenery around your home. Whether you think it is beautiful or not, you still have more to be grateful for more than you know.
Tip #4 – Do Less
After all, it is the holiday & winter season and you’re on break from school, so you should already be doing less. Doing less does not mean telling your parents, “No,” when they ask for your help. Doing less just means relaxing and trying not to fill your plate with so much year after year. This season is supposed to be about recharging and a nice break from our normal lives so truly try to embrace it. Do less, but do more with your family, and for the people, you care most about in life.
Thank you for reading my tips for relieving stress during the holiday & winter season. I hope you can implement some of these tips to just make your time even a bit more joyous.
This blog post was written for Healthy Young NV by Dell, a High Sierra AHEC Student Ambassador.
Resources:
https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/emotional-health/tips-to-help-with-holiday-stress
