The holiday season is here. It is a time to make good memories with family and friends and to celebrate getting through yet another potentially turbulent year.
Despite the promise of relaxation and fun, the holiday season can also bring about increased stress. With holidays like Christmas and the New Year just around the corner, you might be finding yourself stretched too thin juggling different demands and responsibilities. From hosting and attending social gatherings, preparing gifts, and looking after children during their school holidays, this time of year may bring about even more stress and anxiety. Given the greater levels of stress during the holiday season, it’s even more important to practice self-care to maintain your wellbeing.
What is self-care?
There seems to be a lot of buzz around the term self-care, but what exactly does it mean? In psychology, self-care involves engaging in activities that promote better health (Myers et al., 2012). These activities may be targeted to improve a range of domains that impact wellbeing, including physical, emotional, psychological, and social health.
Psychologists emphasize that engaging in self-care does not mean that you are indulging yourself. Rather, it is essential to prevent and manage everyday stressors that may lead to further adverse outcomes. This includes burnout, distress, and low performance (Barnett et al., 2006). Correspondingly, it is known that self-care is important in decreasing stress and anxiety, boosting work performance, and building greater resilience against future stressors (Black Dog Institute, 2021). But what exactly should you do to take better care of yourself?
Self-Care to Manage Holiday Stress
Engage in healthy self-care practices.
Identify past self-care strategies, and evaluate whether they are adaptive or maladaptive:
- Examples of adaptive self-care strategies include exercising, meditation, and engaging in hobbies.
- Examples of maladaptive self-care strategies include drinking, smoking, and suppressing anxiety and stress.
Choose adaptive self-care practices for areas in need of care. These self-care strategies should also be sufficiently easy and enjoyable, as setting unrealistic goals can lead to unwanted additional stress. Reach out to professionals if you are struggling to cope.
Create boundaries.
- Take breaks—schedule some breaks in between work and social responsibilities to recharge and prevent burnout.
- Identify what you feel comfortable doing, and stick to it. Be open to saying no, and prioritize your own wellbeing.
- Communicate boundaries using “I-statements.” Starting sentences with “I” helps communicate in a firm and assertive way. For instance, “I feel uncomfortable when I visit home because of our unhealthy family dynamics. I need some time alone this Christmas.” Another example is, “I feel too stressed and overworked to prepare meals for the Christmas party. I need someone else to help me with this.”
Maintain a routine.
The chaos of the holiday season makes it difficult to have any kind of structure in life, which can be an added stressor to an already busy time of the year. Therefore, it is important to create and maintain a routine to minimize stress. Here are some suggestions to keep sane during the holiday season:
- Have a morning routine. Start the day with an activity that will fuel your energy (e.g. have breakfast, drink coffee, and exercise).
- Have a night routine. Engage in relaxing activities to have a good night’s rest (e.g. turn off electronics, do some stretching, and meditate).
- Set fixed mealtimes. Set aside fixed mealtimes to maintain a structure to the day.
How to Be Stress-Free This Holiday Season
Although it can be quite stressful, the holiday season is meant to be fun. Practicing gratitude can help not only make festive season manageable, but also enjoyable:
- Reflect on the things you are grateful for, whether big or small. You may be thankful for having a caring friend, for the beautiful weather, or for the delicious meal you just had.
- Let others know. Share gratitude with your family and friends by sending thank-you notes and conveying your thankfulness to them in person.
- Last but not least, be thankful for yourself. Show gratitude for your strength in surviving and thriving such a crazy year!
References
Barnett, J.E., Johnston, L.C., & Hillard, D. (2006). Psychotherapist wellness as an ethical imperative. In L. VandeCreek & J.B. Allen (Eds.), Innovations in clinical practice: Focus on health and wellness (pp. 257–271). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resources Press.
Black Dog Institute. (2021, November). Importance of self-care planning. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Importance-of-selfcare-planning.pdf
Myers, S.B., Sweeney, A.C., Popick, V., Wesley, K., Bordfeld, A., & Fingerhut, R. (2012). Self-care practices and perceived stress levels among psychology graduate students. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 6(1), 55–66.
Veretis. (2021, December 20; Revised 2024 [Ed.]). The gift of self-care (B. Schuette & E. Morton, Eds.). Raleigh, NC: Workplace Options (WPO).
