Learn How to Stay Calm and Avoid Holiday Stress
Anxiety Around the Holidays and How To Ease Your Stress
Your expectations are always high this time of year. They always have been. Year after year, you have this vision of how things will go. You dream up the conversations, your outfits, the meals, the presents. But year after year, your expectations never seem to be met. You’re often left disappointed, stressed, and anxious.
This year is different. It’s going to be different. You’re not going to let those little things get to you like you have in the past. But you may be wondering how you’re going to do that.
If you’re feeling anxiety around the holidays, you’re not alone. Here’s how to ease your stress if you’re feeling anxious this time of the year.
Eat a Balanced Diet
First things first, make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Taking care of yourself means ensuring you’re fueling your body properly. When it comes to fueling your body, you should aim for at least three to five healthy and well-balanced meals throughout the day. The holidays could mean different meals, snacks, or sugary sweets and treats. While these items are fine in moderation, it’s important to make sure you’re not binging on only the sweet treats and finding ways to still fit in enough protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates into your diet.
Move Your Body
Moving your body doesn’t mean you have to spend hours a day at the gym. Moving your body just means that you’re finding ways that work for you to get your blood pumping and your heart beating faster. Exercising is a great way to naturally boost one’s mood, reduce stress, and increase your overall mental health and wellness. Here are just a few of the different ways you can move your body and start seeing the benefits of doing so:
Go to the gym.
Hike
Meditate
Ride a bike
Rollerblade
Stretch
Walk outside
Yoga
Prioritize Your Sleep
Another important area of focus in someone’s life, especially when it comes to easing your stress, is to prioritize your sleep. Sleep is extremely important. If you don’t get an adequate amount of sleep each night, you could be putting yourself at risk for added stress, anxiety, or worsening signs and symptoms of the two.
Your body needs sleep to have enough energy to perform to the best of its ability daily. You should be aiming for at least eight hours of sleep each and every night. Try to get on a regular sleep schedule and routine so that your body naturally falls into a rhythm.
Make a Budget
A lot of your stress and anxiety around the holidays may be due to your financial means. Try to get ahead of some of that anxiety and stress you put on yourself by making a budget and sticking to it. Figure out what you can afford and what you’d like to spend, and make sure you’re actually sticking to the budget that you set for yourself. Having a plan in place can help you reduce and minimize those financial stressors this time of the year.
Next Steps
If you’re experiencing stress and anxiety, especially around the holidays, you’re not alone. The holidays bring on an extra set of expectations, stressors, and worries. Luckily, there are lifestyle changes that you can make on your end to help ease the stress and anxiety you may be dealing with.
If the changes you implement on your own end don’t seem to be working, you don’t have to go through with this all on your own. We’re here to help you when you’re ready for it. Reach out to us today to set up a consultation for anxiety therapy.
