Stress Less: Embracing the Holiday Season with Joy
Written By: Lori Brown
Does the thought of hanging the garland, prepping a large turkey, and creating dining table centerpieces in November and December send you running for cover? If so, then we need to do something about that. The holidays are without doubt a busy season; a season in which there is a significant push to see people, entertain, purchase gifts, decorate the house, and engage in special memory-making adventures with the family. But if your “to do” list gives you immediate heart palpitations and leaves you dreading the season of cheer, then perhaps you are doing too much.
Holidays are meant to be a time of gratitude, thankfulness, love, and peace, but an exhausted body and weary mind will rapidly dissolve peace and take the joy out of your jingle bells! To avoid this outcome and find a way to gain rest and greater peace in the holidays this year, let’s consider advice from Peter Reisner, M.D., a Family Medicine physician who published a thoughtful blog for the Mayo Clinic Health Services entitled “9 Tips to Fend Off Holiday Stress.”
At the core of Dr. Reisner’s advice to decrease holiday-related stress is the concept of balanced, realistic actions. In addition to planning ahead, saying “no” to some requests, and taking dedicated time to rest and unwind, Reisner advises that we should share what we are feeling. The first holiday after a major loss of a loved one, or a holiday filled with too many events and parties can leave us feeling all out of sorts. So, why not let those around us know that we need to protect our hearts and heads by stepping back and letting others know when it is emotionally tough to engage?
Along those same lines is Reisner’s recommendation to avoid perfectionism. Enjoying the holidays does not mean that your home needs to look like an HGTV spotlight mansion, or that you must attend every event offered in your town. Similarly, it does not mean that you are committed to every party offered by your friends or family members. We can remove much stress when we accept that celebrating looks different for every person, and whereas a friend might feel a need to engage socially on a nightly basis, you may be more of an introvert who chooses one major event per week or per month. And that’s ok.
We add more stress to our busy lives when we adopt the notion that we must do everything, and be everything to everybody. It is perfectly acceptable to recognize that being still and spending time alone reflecting on the reason for the season, or expressing gratitude for the gift of loved ones, friends, employment, or food on the table, is a form of celebrating and honoring the season. Similarly, the holidays are a time of great religious significance for many, so making church or synagogue attendance a priority can help foster greater peace and less panic. Sometimes we need peace more than we need parties.
Perhaps the greatest tip for reducing stress and increasing joy this holiday season is to “W.A.L.K.” While exercise is a great stress reliever recommended by doctors and psychologists alike, consider adopting the W.A.L.K. acronym to remind you that it is ok to find balance in chaotic times. When the blood pressure rises and the joy diminishes, remember to: “Wait And Live in Kindness.” Wait before saying “yes” to everything. Live in kindness to yourself and others by refusing to pursue perfectionism and/or to expect that in others. Friends, family, and strangers on the bus or plane may feel in crisis despite large smiles on their face, so take the time to realize that your intense stress and chaos may cause them even greater trauma if you react too quickly or harshly. Everybody needs a little extra dose of grace and kindness during the holidays, so let it flow from your place of peace. Take care of yourself, friends, so that you walk through this holiday season with your head held high and your heart filled with joy.