How to Deal With Holiday Stress

We all feel stressed from time to time, but the holidays offer their own special stressors that can make us feel even worse, such as a family get-together that devolves into a fight over politics or a shopping trip for gifts that maxes out your credit card. Stress can be unhealthy. When stress is at its peak, it’s hard to stop and regroup. 

While holidays are meant to bring feelings of love and cheer and fill our houses with laughter, many of us find ourselves in positions to suffer from holiday bickering or holiday stress. In fact, according to a poll conducted on this site, more than 80% of us find the holiday season to be ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ stressful. 

RODNAE Productions/ Pexels | The holiday season often brings unwelcome guests such as stress and depression

Try to prevent stress and depression in the first place, especially if the holidays have taken an emotional toll on you in the past. So, what can you do to avoid or minimize some of these holiday stress inducers? There are many simple ways to deal with holiday stress, but first, you need to understand your stress triggers. Once you understand what triggers your stress, use these six simple tips to de-stress. 

Plan ahead

Finding time for all of your holiday activities can be tricky. On top of your holiday commitments, you may also have to deal with increased traffic, especially around malls. Or you may feel extra pressure to get ahead of work so that you can take time off to travel.

Creating an action plan can help to relieve stress. Write down all of the things you need to do so that you can prioritize the things that are most important. You will also be less likely to forget something if you have a list.

Nicole Michalou/ Pexels | The problem with the holiday season is that we often experience too much of a good thing

Use supplements to manage stress 

Utilizing supplements can be an effective technique in managing the holiday hustle and bustle. After all, the anxiety that surrounds visiting or hosting family, preparing meals and buying gifts can be overwhelming and may cause you to lose sleep and knock you off your game. Essentially, our adrenal glands are in overdrive at all times during stress. These glands are located on top of each kidney and produce cortisol. When too much cortisol is released into the bloodstream, our bodies can end up experiencing a whole host of negative symptoms. 

Polina Tankilevitch/ Pexels | Tension is who you think you should be

Luckily, there are a variety of natural supplements that have demonstrated their ability to help mitigate the negative effects of stress and keep your cortisol at bay so that you can coast through the busy holiday season. These supplements can include energy boosters, GABA, Melatonin supreme and Adrenal chill. 

Create relaxing surroundings

Turn on some music, light some candles or open the windows on a sunny day. Research has found that listening to music and the scent of citrus can boost feelings of well-being, and vitamin D is always a happiness booster.