Stress: One of the Biggest Challenges of the Holiday Season

The holiday season can be such a fun, enjoyable time, no matter what you celebrate.  Filled with laughter, cookies, and lots of great memories.

But it can also be a time filled with stress, anxiety, and sometimes sadness for so many people.  Even those of us who usually do not suffer from anxiety can find ourselves stressed and short-fused.

What is it about this time of year that can bring out the best in people, but also the worst?

Expectations

One of my husband’s favorite sayings to remind me is “the space between expectations and reality is where disappointment lies.” 

It’s a favorite because it is so true and applies to so many different situations in our lives, from work to friendships to the holiday season.  He reminds me of this frequently since I tend to set my expectations overly high.

I think we all have this idealized version of what the holidays should be like, and we push so hard to make that vision a reality.  This is where the stress and anxiety come in. 

Because it’s virtually impossible to make the season perfect and for everything to go smoothly.  That’s life too.  The cookies may burn, we might forget to buy that one last thing, and the refrigerator might die (true story of our house this year). But we keep pushing because we have these high expectations either from our false memories of perfection from our childhood or because of movies and commercials that make us think we must be perfect. 

Too much pressure.

Between the gift shopping, parties, baking, and other holiday traditions this time of year can be exhausting.  Completely the opposite of what most of us are aiming for in December.  And every year we seem to do the same thing (remember that saying about insanity?) and expect a different result.  We expect to be able to handle everything without stress – socializing, the gifts, the food.  This doesn’t even include our regular lives that continue despite it being the holidays.  I’m still expected to show up at work and grocery shop every Sunday.  There are still indoor track meets and other non-holiday events to handle.  It’s so much! 

So what do we do?

Step one is to manage your expectations.  This of course is easier said than done.  It is OK to not accept every invitation or to buy brownies for a dinner party instead of making them (did this recently for the first time!). 

Everything doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be wonderful.

Step two is to take care of yourself.  The first thing many people give up when they are stressed or overwhelmed is taking care of themselves.  This includes sleep and the gym.  You cannot accomplish any of your goals without taking care of yourself.  Self-care is so important, especially when things can easily become overwhelming.

Taking care of yourself needs to be a priority.

Step three, ask for and accept help.  You DO NOT need to do everything yourself.  Delegate and don’t stress if the wrapping paper is crooked or the cookies aren’t exactly as you would make them.  Include the family in all of the preparations.  Make it a new tradition.

Let go of some of the control and learn to enjoy including others.

I am working on these steps myself this year in an effort to feel less stress and to enjoy this time of year a little more.  

I’ve said no to invitations, I delegated some shopping, and bought a dessert for a dinner party.  These may seem like small steps, but they helped alleviate a little of that stress that can take away from the holiday fun.

Here’s to a healthy, and happy holiday season for all.