Holidays are wonderful for bringing added joy, meaning, and connection into our lives. Unfortunately, stress can often get in the way of our holiday experience and make it less that what it could have been. Now is a great time to identify potential sources of holiday stress and implement strategies to keep them in check. We hope you consider including some of the following stress management ideas to your holiday list this year:
Maintain a balanced healthy lifestyle
Do a little exercise, eat a nutritious diet, and get adequate sleep each day, to help improve your energy so you can be more resilient. Taking time to care for your health is important during stressful times.
Prioritize and simplify
Take a few minutes to evaluate your priorities. If your plate is too full, find ways to simplify by automating, delegating, or eliminating things on your list so you can focus your time on what is truly important.
Make time for fun and relaxation
Carve out a little bit of “me” time here and there to relax or have fun. This will help you recharge so you can accomplish your priorities with a fresh mindset and renewed energy.
Learn to relieve stress in the moment
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you will have stressful moments. The fastest way to reduce stress in the moment is by taking several slow deep breaths. You might also want to experiment with other strategies to see what works for you, such as listening to music, hugging a pet, visualizing a beautiful place, smelling a calming scent, etc.
Seek heaven’s help
As you prayerfully strive to bring your life into balance, Heavenly Father will help you find ways to wisely organize and simplify your life so you can reduce stress and find joy in managing your holidays in healthy and productive ways.