Stress-free holidays

By Farizaa Sabreen

Holidays mean joy, celebration, and rejoicing with family and friends. However, holidays can also bring stress as preparations and festivities add a significant amount of chaos to our hectic lives. People often feel compelled to travel, attend holiday parties, and shop for gifts. As stress can affect our emotional and physical health, it’s time to think outside the box by following these holiday stress reduction tips.

Start planning early and involve everyone

Write down everything you need to accomplish. Decide what has to be done first and prioritize it. Have a talk beforehand with your family members to set the guest list, menus, and activities for the party. Discover what matters most to you and your family. Some folks, for instance, don't really care about the cuisine, but they enjoy getting the whole family together to watch a movie or go for a short trip. 

One of the biggest sources of stress around the holidays is feeling like you have too much to do. Accept as much responsibility as you can manage and enjoy; don't add to your workload, otherwise it can wear you out. By assigning chores to everyone, you can spread your workload and ensure that everyone feels involved. This could mean designating one person to decorate and another to wrap presents, or it might mean inviting guests to contribute dishes to the dinner rather than cooking it all yourself. Alternatively, consider hiring outside caterers and cleaners to reduce the workload. 

Make a budget

As money is a major source of stress, it’s a good idea to make a budget and follow it. Parents could experience pressure to take out loans or utilize credit cards to pay for decorations, special attire, gifts, and other expenses. So it’s wise to look for alternative strategies to cut back on costs. You could, for instance, exchange or borrow decorations from family and friends; make your own DIY Christmas decorations; and purchase items from thrift and secondhand stores. If you can't afford the pricey food at five-star hotels, you could plan a picnic in the park or arrange a potluck party. If you do go out to eat, you could encourage everyone to stay away from the expensive Christmas menus that many restaurants offer, and instead, visit a more affordable restaurant that offers a different type of cuisine.

When it comes to gifts, you could buy for children but not adults, or you could organize a Secret Santa among the adults. Gifts don’t have to be expensive—you can find fantastic deals both online and in-store. You could even make your own gifts such as coupons, offer to watch the kids for the evening, provide breakfast in bed, go to the movies, have a games night, or whatever you know the recipient would most appreciate. Or get a gift that the whole family can enjoy like a coffee maker, a box of chocolates, or a board game that everyone can play.

Ensure your well-being

Taking care of daily obligations while shopping and planning endlessly can be detrimental to your health. It’s crucial to set and maintain sensible boundaries to decrease the likelihood of feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Also make an effort to maintain balance and take care of yourself by getting as much water as you can, eating nutritious snacks, and going to bed early during the holidays.

Disconnect from technology

It's important to take a break from technology, including social media, especially over the holidays. As well as being a distraction from spending time with your loved ones, scrolling can lead to stress as you see the highlights of other people’s holidays and compare them to your own. Simple joys like sharing a cup of hot cocoa or going for a stroll in the fresh air should take the place of digital entertainment.

Here’s to happy, healthy, and stress-free holidays!

About the Author

Farizaa Sabreen is a journalist by day and writer by night. She believes that the simplest things in life are the ones that bring the most pleasure. When not writing, she enjoys traveling, photography and cooking. Her first book, a collection of short stories titled "Quest for Silver Linings", was published in 2023.