5 Ways To Reduce Stress Levels Over The Holidays

Do you have a love/hate relationship with the holidays? If you do, you are not alone. We love all the magic and tradition that it brings, but because of it, it can be very stressful too. So many things to do, so many events to attend and too much food! How can we reduce our stress levels over the holidays?

5 Ways To Reduce Our Stress Levels

Meal Prep Ahead

So much of our time is spoken for during the holidays. Meal prepping some healthy and delicious meals ahead of time can be a real time saver in a crunch. Before the ball really gets going setup a time to do some meal prep. You can make up some meals ahead and freeze them. Think of crockpot or instant pot “dump meals”. Easy to bag up, freeze and prepare in the crockpot or instant pot the day you need it. So simple! See my experience here in my article “How To Do A Weekly Food Prep-An Experiment”.

Be sure to plan the time ahead and stick with it! Make it a fun family affair or have friends over to do a group batching of meals! It would be so much more fun with a group of friends and imagine the food combinations you could make. Have each person decide on an entree and have a real diverse set of meals as an end result. Reduce your reliance on fast foods during the holidays and cook ahead!

Keep Exercising

Yes, by all means! Keep exercising! We have so much going on during the holidays, exercise is a great way to burn away the stress we might be encountering. You might find it hard to concentrate on all the areas that need your attention during the holidays. Whether it shopping, Christmas parties, wrapping gifts, children’s events, it just seems like a never ending list. Getting away from it all with something like exercise, can help you develop clarity. If you didn’t have a plan of action before, you may have one after a time out with some exercise.

Then there is just the idea of keeping fit and healthy! We all know the temptations we feel around this time of year and keeping a handle on it by exercising can be very beneficial. We have lots of fun options we can do with having fun in the snow (if you have any), to walking through your neighbourhood looking at Christmas lights or how about Christmas carolling! Whatever you decide, stay active!

Shop At Home

Do you get stressed doing your holiday shopping? Fighting the crowds, finding a parking spot, the lineups at the cash. Even people out there have a short fuse! Who needs it? How about shopping from home? Online shopping is more mainstream every year. You can place your orders online. You pick up the bill and the vendor will ship it to the destination. Some shops even provide Christmas wrapping and/or special messaging on the package. All of this from the comfort of your home computer, laptop, tablet or phone.

Thinking of shopping online? The Journey Shop at Journey of Self Content offers products through Amazon links specifically centered around those with weight loss, healthy lifestyle, personal development and productivity in mind. The products are all Amazon Prime so you have the opportunity to save even more! Especially many products with free shipping (dependent on location). Consider checking a few off your list while visiting the shop. No extra charge to you for this service. Just convenient and trusted shopping with Amazon.

Another popular form of shopping is off of TV channels like QVC! You hear from the vendors themselves and get demonstrations for products you’d like to see in action! You can see how versatile a product can be as they demonstrate the different ways the product can be used. As with online shopping, think “bill here, ship there”. It’s so easy!

Take the stress out of holiday shopping and consider shopping online or through TV shopping channels! You may never shop any other way!

Enjoy Outside Themed Christmas Events

When you think about Christmas events, think outside the box. We tend to do so much indoors like parties, going to holiday movies, and of course the holiday meal(s)! We can still have fun with those activities, but why not consider something different? How about walking around the neighbourhood looking at Christmas lights instead of watching from a car window? Christmas carolling can be a lot of fun with family or friends. Have you ever gone to a tree farm and got your own Christmas tree? Even cut down your own? Get some fresh air and have fun with the special ones in your life. You may even create a new Christmas tradition! Create some special memories and reduce your stress levels simultaneously with some outdoor holiday activities.

You Don’t Have To Agree To Everything

The one thing that can be super stressful about the holidays is how much opportunity there is out there. So many Christmas parties, community events and children’s events with school and extracurricular activities. Having so much on your plate can become very stressful for you. Don’t overcommit. Be realistic about what you want to do or need to do. It’s important to plan events ahead. Does the event interfere with something else? Do you really want to attend that particular holiday event? Could you reschedule the original event if need be?

Can you get help to allow you to attend your office Christmas party you really want to go to? Can you get a sitter to mind the kids? Are you planning on going for a Christmas tree today? Having that prepped meal ahead will save time when you get home. All these things add up to reduce your stress levels over the holidays.

Ultimately, do the things you really want to do. Create good memories. You want to remember yourself having at the time of your life! You don’t want to remember the holiday as just a big stressor for you. Do what serves you and leave the stress behind!

Reduce The Holiday Stress

Yes, there are ways to reduce stress levels over the holidays. Being aware of what they are and how to handle them is key. I hope you have found this article helpful in that regard. Enjoy your stress free holiday!

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