5 More Ways to Beat Holiday Stress

If you’ve been hit with holiday overwhelm, you may be tempted to cope in one of two ways.

You might go into overdrive, work longer and longer hours, at a more frantic pace, with less sleep, bad nutrition and a whole lot less pleasure. The basic belief behind this response is “I can do it all! I just have to buckle down, get serious and get busy!”

Or, you might revert into yourself and withdraw believing “I can’t do it all. And I certainly can’t do it ‘right’! So just forget it.” This manifests as procrastination, overeating, over sleeping, drinking too much and/or withdrawal from family and friends.

Both options ultimately lead to the same thing: a miserable holiday season!

You deserve better. Here are 5 ways to handle holiday overwhelm. (Find 4 more ways here.)

Pick just one or two of these that appeal to you and put it into action:

#1

Watch a funny video. (Laughter has a very positive effect on brain chemistry.)

#2

Go outdoors for a few minutes or even a few hours. Taking time to notice the glorious details of nature—a leaf, a snowflake, a ladybug—is very regenerative.

#3

Write in a journal as fast as you can for 15 minutes without editing or judging. This “brain dump” will help to clear your mind and move you away from overwhelm.

#4

On your walks (with the dog or alone), whisper to yourself all the things for which you forgive yourself.

#5

Keep or start a list of everything that helps you to re-connect with yourself, that helps you re-collect and re-focus your energy. Then, when overwhelm strikes, you’ll have a number of activities to select from rather than trying to think of them while in the throes of overwhelm.

It’s Not About the To-Do List

Remember, dealing with holiday overwhelm isn’t about that darn to-do list. It’s about connecting with what has meaning for you!

Your maverick move, should you decide to make it, is to tell me in the comments below what you are doing to create a holiday experience that is uniquely yours and uplifts you.

Wishing you a joyous holiday season.

Dare the Extraordinary!