How to Beat Holiday Stress

Do you find yourself so busy in the days leading up to Christmas, that before you know it, the day comes and goes, and you didn’t get to enjoy the holidays?

This year is going to be different, because I’m sharing 9 ways to help beat holiday stress.

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How to Manage Holiday Stress

Before we can manage holiday stress, it’s important to understand what causes holiday stress.

Common Holiday Stressors

Extra responsibilities – We already have busy schedules which makes the extra errands and responsibilities that come with the holidays overwhelming.

Family Dynamics – Choosing who to spend the holidays with or worrying about how everyone will get along is a huge stressor.

Financial Stress – The holiday season brings a lot of extra expenses. Worrying about going into debt or wondering how you’re going to pay for everything is definitely stressful.

All of this added stress can lead to holiday burnout or even depression. No one wants that, so let’s look for ways to limit holiday stress.

9 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

These first couple of tips help eliminate decision fatigue and frees you to spend your time and energy on what matters most; enjoying the holiday season.

Simplify Gift Giving

Between coming up with gift ideas, to shopping and gift wrapping, gift giving can be completely overwhelming. But, you can reduce holiday stress with these practical tips.

• Set a budget and stick to it – Make a shopping list and establish a budget based on what you can afford. You can find really great gifts at any price point which makes sticking to your budget easier. If you find a gift that is below budget, even better. You don’t have to max out your limit.

• Organize your gift wrap – Avoid holiday stress by keeping all your wrapping supplies in one easily accessible place. Cut down on how much you have to organize by creating your own signature look. I use brown or white butcher paper and/or craft bags depending on the size and shape of the gift. Then, use ribbon, stickers, paint, free-hand drawing, or stencils to embellish the gift wrap.

• Make gift grapping fun – Set a date on your calendar for wrapping. Make it fun by pouring your favorite beverage and adding a little background music. Get lost in the scene; thinking of each person and recalling fond memories as you wrap their gift, expressing your creativity with bow making and ribbon tying or learning a new skill like making our own gift bags. (I was so proud of myself when I did that the first time.)

• Practice mindful gift giving – Marketers would have you believe that holiday shopping is a race or something you need to catch up on. They  want you to succumb to the “Early Bird” and “Last-Minute” labels and Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, so you’ll spend your money. The truth is, buying a gift to check off a list becomes clutter for the recipient as well as time and money you can’t get back. But, you’re savvy. You know that as long as you have what you need by the time you need it, you’re right on time.

Practice Self Care This Holiday Season

It may seem impossible to practice self care during such a hectic season, but it’s necessary if you want to actually enjoy the holidays instead of just survive them. These simple holiday self care tips will make it easy.

• Plan Your Holiday Outfits – If you have a handful of wardrobe basics you can create several mix and match outfits for the holiday season. Not thinking about what you’re going to wear is an easy way to reduce holiday stress. Get Your Pretty On is my favorite (and affordable) resource for creating uniforms. Use my affiliate link to browse the Seasonal Style Challenges.

• Ask for help – You do not have to do it all. When you let someone help, not only are you freeing yourself, you are giving someone work. So, please delegate. Hire a cleaning lady. Let someone else hang the lights. Make a tradition of having the whole family participate in decorating the house. Order your groceries online. Then, go in peace.

• Remember to breathe. Literally. Pause every now and then to take a few deep breaths. It’s like pressing the reset button on your nervous system. 

Create a Holiday Checklist

One year, as we prepared to celebrate our wedding anniversary, Matt’s birthday, and Christmas, all in one week, I realized busy is just a state of mind. Here are some simple ways to shift the busy mindset.

• Make your to-do list and check it twice – You know how you write a to-do list on Monday, and by Friday when you haven’t quite managed to do it all, you’re suddenly enable you to prioritize that list down to two or three must do items? Do that for Christmas. Make your list according to what matters most, even if it means scratching a few things off because you’d rather be present than busy.

• Schedule your errands – Taking the time to schedule your holiday errands gives you an opportunity to space them out and allow plenty time to get them done.

Prepare for Guests

Remember, it’s about hospitality, in other words, how you make your guests feel, not what the house looks like. So, pat yourself on the back. You did the hardest part by opening your home to someone.

With that in mind, hosting will be less stressful with a few preparations.

• Organize your kitchen well ahead of time so that it’s ready for holiday entertaining.
• Tidy guest spaces – Change the sheets on the beds, give the guest bathroom a once-over and stock up on travel toiletries in case your guests forget something. Then call it done.
• Set Boundaries to Avoid Family Conflict – Establishing boundaries is a great way to avoid family conflict. You’ll be surprised at how relieved you feel just by having a plan in place.

Ultimately, following these tips will allow you to bask in the wonder of the holiday season. There’s no better way to beat holiday stress than being fully present in the moment.

For more helpful holiday tips, read:

• A Holiday Gift Guide for {Almost} Everyone on Your List
• Holiday Entertaining Tips: How to Throw a Good Holiday Party

And if you really want to beat the holiday stress, join the Simple Holidays Challenge.