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5 Practical Tips on How to Manage Holiday Stress

The most wonderful time of the year is near, and you're supposed to be enjoying the holiday cheer. But, instead, you're reading an article on how to manage holiday stress while holding a glass of wine in your hand (Gotcha!).

But no one can blame you. Who else can decide the perfect gift for your spouse and your kids or the perfect Christmas dinner recipes or where your extended family should stay for a couple of days, or who's going to attend which kid's party?

According to a study by the American Psychological Association (APA) and a recent survey by Healthline, holidays are stressful for many people. The consistent results between a current and a 15-year-old study show that people have felt stressed during the holidays for years!

Fortunately, you stumbled upon this article that will give you practical tips on how to manage holiday stress, including planning and creating system

How to Manage Holiday Stress

1. Plan ahead, not only on your finances and activities but your response to stressors.

Use tools to make better plans

Consider the worst-case scenario. Think about Murphy's Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong. If so, what are your contingency plans?

What methods have you been using in your job that worked so well in preparing for events and corporate activities? Who says you can't modify and apply those at home during the holidays?

There are plenty of tools available that can help you organize everything and develop plans B, C, & D. ‘Tis the season to embrace technology because you need all the help you can get in managing holiday stress.

Mind your money

Finances are a HUGE stressor during the holidays, so this will be a long one.

First, you have to talk to your family and discuss your previous expenses. Be honest about the financial stress you experienced because of poor or lack of planning. Then, together, make plans on how to reduce your expenses. Make sure you reach a consensus so it's easier to stick to the plan.

Next, create a system that helps you be mindful of your finances. For example, don't just think of the total allowable expense. Instead, put a financial cap on everything you need to buy, e.g., groceries, gifts, decorations, and even tips to Christmas carolers. Being this meticulous helps you avoid the pressure of making sudden financial decisions.

When budgeting, think about your priorities first; give them more significant cuts. Then, you may distribute what's left on those that don't matter so much. Prioritizing is key to a less financially stressful holiday.

Once you've created a budget on EVERYTHING, put a copy of it on your phone (or however you want to make it handy). This way, you'll always have a reference on how much your budget on anything is.

Additionally, track your expenses. If you create your budget in an Excel Sheet and input basic arithmetic formulas in it, you can easily deduct the holiday expenses you make in a day from your total budget.

Tracking your expenses may seem tedious. However, it creates financial awareness, especially when you're likely to get tempted to overspend on things you adore. Expense tracking lets you see your money deplete day by day and helps you evaluate your financial decisions.

Prepare yourself for potential triggers

When planning, your experience will be your best friend, especially in managing yourself and your stress, in case all H.E.-double-hockey-sticks breaks loose.

Recall your holiday stressors and triggers. Then, think of how you can deal with them better so you can ace managing holiday stress this year.

List down everything that calms you down when you're tense or feeling deflated: a good breathing exercise, yoga, running around the block, a quick nap, a yummy healthy snack, etc.

Then, make these readily accessible to you, i.e., download a yoga and meditation app, stock up the pantry with healthy comfort foods, place your running shoes by the door, get a cozy blanket on your bed or couch, etc.

You can ask your spouse or a friend to help you out with this tip. There may be times when you get so overwhelmed that you can no longer stop yourself from reacting to your stressors. A family or a friend can help ground you and prevent you from spiraling.

2. Set priorities and keep your boundaries.

Just like how you planned your finances, schedule the most important activities first before worrying about everything else. Also, be assertive and learn to say "No" to invitations and events that no longer fit your schedule. You don't have to accommodate everything or please everyone.

3. Be realistic. Focus only on what you can control and let go of the rest.

One of the most effective ways to cope with holiday stress is to detach yourself from what you can't control.

All you can do is choose to make an effort, do things right, and make good decisions. The rest is not up to you; for instance, outside factors can influence the outcome of your plans.

In other words, let go of perfection. Instead, do your part, anticipate potential problems, and plan how to handle them. When the problems come, execute your plan. Then, when you feel overwhelmed, take action in managing your holiday stress.

Aside from those, there's nothing else you can do. So, learn to accept that the universe is constantly in flux, and there are many things you can't predict and control, and that's okay.

4. Don't do this alone. You have allies.

Some people can help you, especially your immediate family. Communicate how much you can fit on your plate and delegate the rest to your family.

You can build a system or agree on rewards (especially with your kids) if everyone does their part well throughout the holiday to make this work.

This way, you can break this massive chunk of work down into more manageable tasks that you can assign to your spouse, your kids, and even your relatives who will be coming over for the holidays.

5. Prevent accelerated aging due to holiday stress.

One of the essential things to combat holiday stress is taking care of yourself. Your body is your most reliable ally so keep it healthy and strong.

When you plan your activities and schedules, always include self-care, proper nutrition, regular exercise, me-times, or food supplements that can help you prevent muscle loss and promote muscle building.

You see, keeping a healthy muscle mass is vital in maintaining a healthy body, especially if you are in your golden years. This is because muscle mass and strength are essential in healthy aging, and losing muscle accelerates aging.

Stress can lead to muscle loss and weakness, affecting weight and metabolism. It also compromises your immune system and makes you vulnerable to cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. These are not the holiday takeaways you'd want to have!

While diet and exercise are crucial in keeping your muscles healthy, supporting them with a supplement like AgelessLX will give you dramatic results and change the way you age.

AgelessLX contains HMB. It activates protein synthesis and fights protein breakdown, the key to combating muscle loss. It also has the essential vitamins (D3, K2, biotin) that help your body produce more of its own collagen, which strengthens your hair, skin, and nails.

Aside from these, there are many more benefits that AgelessLX can give you so you can age healthily and beautifully. For sure, it's one of the best self-care gifts you can give yourself this holiday season.

Takeaway

Stress is caused mainly by how you perceive things rather than how things actually are. That's why managing and taking care of yourself through careful planning, mindfulness, and being mindful of your health is crucial in managing holiday stress.

Taking AgelessLX is a wise move in fighting against the effects of stress on your muscles, metabolism, and overall health.

We hope we've given you plenty of ideas on coping with holiday stress. Now, how about you put down that glass of wine and continue making your holiday plans?

What do you think of these practical steps on how to manage holiday stress? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

If you found this article helpful, don't forget to share it on your socials. Happy holidays!

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

**Individuals may have received free product or compensation in exchange for their honest review. Individual results will vary. All other benefits/effects noted in these testimonials/reviews are the individuals’ personal opinions and have not been studied.