Holiday Stress–AGAIN?
Seems like this time every year we have a flurry of interest in this subject, but it seems more urgent this time around. For many people, the holidays have brought more misery than mirth, particularly since the ailing economy can’t seem to recover quickly enough and money worries remain on their minds. We hear that longstanding traditions of travel, parties, and gift-giving are being sacrificed in favor of more frugal measures. This is not all bad: Those who are spiritually minded can see it as an opportunity to refocus on issues more important than how much we should spend on so-and-so.
Some folks can make these adjustments without missing a beat, but others agonize over the dreaded “what will others think,” or frustration about not meeting their own expectations. Here are some usual tips for keeping an even keel over the coming weeks (reminders are always a good thing!) as well as a few you may be reading for the first time:
- Maintain your usual stress management routine. We often sacrifice the very strategies—exercise, meditation, sleep, nutrition, and time for ourselves—that help us stay healthy and balanced enough to enjoy the season. If you have a healthy sex life, consider that one aspect of it may be stress reduction.
- Pace yourself. Most people are busier this time of year, and benefit from using some system of planning, prioritizing and scheduling activities.
- Keep your expectations realistic. This is a learnable skill, and one that’s important to prevent frustration. See the previous item, and be honest with yourself about budgeting time and money.
- Spend time with other people. At no time of the year does the stress-relieving value of spending time with those in our social support system of friends and family seem more important. If you feel alone, take action to remedy this situation, even if it involves using community resources. Better yet, if you feel up to it, volunteering often feels great, and can be a way to make new friends with shared values.
- Watch out for regression. Once among their “family of origin”—parents and siblings—many feel a strong tendency to regress emotionally and in relationship patterns. It helps if you make a conscious effort to remain in your adult state of mind, but also note emotional reactions from the child aspect of yourself.
- Have fun but in moderation. Keep in mind that even “having fun” can be stressful on mind and body, especially of that fun involves missing sleep or overindulging in alcohol or “party foods.”
Filed under: Lifestyle & Behaviors, Relationships, Resilience, Stress
