Coping with Stress During the Holidays

Coping with Stress During the Holidays: 2023 Update

It’s December 21, the winter solstice, and many of us are well into a busy holiday season.

I wanted to re-share some advice for feeling good and mentally well in this often stressful time.

There’s no wonder we experience stress in December! There’s extra social obligations, financial pressures, long shopping and to-do lists and sky-high expectations.

I hope you can make time to try a few of these ideas to help you and your loved ones cope with stress during the holidays and make the most of what can be, for many, a most wonderful time of the year.

1. Stay true to yourself.

Stress can be good for you. If you’re excited for the holidays – looking forward to time with family, a special outing, visiting with friends, once-a-year meals – a deadline can help you to stay on task and get things done.

Bad stress, however, is the kind that triggers anxiety, can feel unmanageable, and can provoke a sense of dread when you contemplate the upcoming holidays.

Whatever this season means for you, stay true to yourself. Take the time to identify what’s important to you, so you make time for the things that really matter. Prioritizing what brings you joy increases the likelihood that this season will be one you enjoy, not endure.

2. Be prepared.

The best way to get through any extra-busy time is to prepare for it.

Plan activities that matter most to you and your loved ones, like how you will decorate your space and what special activities you will enjoy together.

Coping with stress during the holidays means making some room for the unexpected, planning for what matters most, and, most importantly, being kind to yourself.

3. Scale down your expectations.

The pressures of shopping, cooking, visiting and making everyone else’s dreams come true can derail your personal time – it’s inevitable. It can be really difficult to maintain your usual routines – the things that give you energy and help you feel your best.

But taking care of yourself is the gift you give yourself AND those you love.

Do what you can to adapt to the pressures on your time during the season, but don’t beat yourself up for letting a few things slide.

Prioritize your own health – making sure you get your sleep, stay physically active, get some fresh air, and not over-extending yourself.

These are all things that keep us on an even keel, despite the busy season.

4. If this is a hard time of year for you, build a plan.

Holidays can be very difficult for some of us.

Grief, loss, family separation, and loneliness can feel especially acute at this time when others are extraordinarily cheerful and celebratory.

If you know this will likely be a challenging time, it’s important to be proactive and make plans to mitigate the sting. Reaching out to someone that may be in a similar situation is an opportunity to give and receive support.

This might be the year to break traditions, to do something new, and give yourself the space you need to not only “get through it” but find some peace. Seeking new experiences can remove you from emotional triggers and help to build new, happier traditions.

Whatever the season means to you, please be kind to yourself. And make some room to let the magic of this time of year touch and restore you.

This blog post is part of a series looking at the state of our mental healthcare system and ways we can create sustainable change to improve quality and outcomes for anyone impacted by mental illness. See also related post on loneliness.