It’s the most wonderful time of the year… or at least, it’s supposed to be, according to a famous song. In reality, however, Christmas is often far from the most wonderful time of the year: for many of us, it can be the exact opposite.
Christmas stress is incredibly common, often starting as early as the first week of November and lasting right through to New Year. However, the stress of the holiday period can be managed if you keep the following tips in mind…
Make sure you continue to exercise
As things get busy around Christmas, maintaining an exercise regime can be difficult – but is actually incredibly important, given the role exercise plays in managing stress. Try to schedule at least a few workouts a week – be they at the gym, or at home – throughout the season to help boost your mood.
Complete gift shopping in a single day
Worrying about what to buy people, and then finding the time to actually get to the shops or place each online order, is a major source of stress in the lead-up to Christmas – so condense it. Rather than shopping in bits and pieces, write a list, come up with ideas of what to buy, and get it all done by the start of December – it might be a very long day, but it’s absolutely worth it for the peace of mind you’ll subsequently be able to enjoy.
Be prepared to turn down invitations
The Christmas season always results in a number of invitations to various events, celebrations, parties, and so on and so forth – often to the point where it can become outright stressful to even think about how many events you have to attend. However, if your schedule is filling up, then the simplest solution is to be willing to say no; read through https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-politely-decline-an-invitation-1216776 if you’re worried that turning down an invitation will make you seem rude, and then put the theory into practice in order to keep the volume of your festive commitments under control.
Do something Christmas-prep-related every day
Every little helps, so one prep-related task each day can help to reduce your overall to-do list but without taking over completely. You could write a few cards, wrap a present, go to the store to buy a few food items needed for Christmas dinner, or anything else that only takes a short amount of time. This “little and often” approach helps to prevent a situation where it feels like there’s a huge amount left to do in very little time.
Plan some time away
There comes a point where Christmas seems to be dominating every conversation, every activity, and every spare thought – so arrange to take a break sometime before the big day itself. You could opt for a relaxing break at the likes of https://www.seckford.co.uk/spa/, or spend a couple of nights in a B&B close to a National Park so you can unwind and enjoy the spectacular views; anything that gives you a chance to take a break from all the prep and kick back is definitely worth doing.
The above tips should help to ensure that stress is kept to a minimum, and that you’re able to fully enjoy the Christmas period this year.
