10 Tips for Minimizing Stress and Anxiety This Holiday Season

Reduce the stress and amp up the holiday cheer!

By: Emily Bratcher

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10 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and one of the most stressful. In the process of creating all the holiday magic for their children, parents sometimes miss out on some of the magic themselves. But Kaitlin Soule, a California-based Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author, said that though it’s true that stress and anxiety increase at the holidays, there are ways to bring back some of the joy. Here are 10 of her best tips on reducing stress for a merrier and brighter time of year for you and your kids.

Simplify the Season

Before the holiday season gets into full swing, families should consider their list of holiday activities. From decorating gingerbread houses to booking tickets for the community light show, managing your Elf on the Shelf’s movements to coordinating plaid pajamas, the holidays are filled with more traditions than there are days in December. "Decrease your stress during the holiday season by resisting the temptation to overload your schedule, ditch the 'shoulds,' and prioritize the things that are most important to you and your values," says Soule.

Set Limits on Gifts

Whether it’s spending too much money on presents or too much time finding them, gift-giving can be one of the most stressful parts of the holiday season. "Sometimes, we get pulled into spending way more than we want just because everybody else is," explains Soule. To avoid overspending, she suggests setting limits. One way to do this is by communicating with your family on price limits that everyone feels comfortable with. You can even discuss the option of discontinuing gift-giving for extended family.

Enlist Help

Another way to reduce stress this holiday season is to enlist help. Early on in the holiday season, Soule recommends communicating with your partner (or whoever else helps out with your family) about splitting up the extra holiday-related responsibilities. "Make sure as much as possible to share the load," Soule says. "Be really communicative about what that will entail for you and your family specifically." You can split up the shopping list this year, or delegate responsibility for moving around the Elf on the Shelf and researching Christmas tree farms.

Curate Social Media

Curating who you follow on social media is especially important this time of year. Soule says it’s easy to underestimate the impact that social media influencers have on us. "We spend so much time on social media that they really are people in our lives," Soule notes. To reduce stress and discontentment, she suggests unfollowing people who make you feel like you’re not doing enough this holiday season.

Set Boundaries

Obligatory social engagements can overrun your December calendar. Whether it's an office party or a visit with extended family, Soule recommends setting boundaries. "If there’s a holiday event that you have to go to for your kids’ sake, but it always causes you stress, it’s really important that you set that boundary of what time you will arrive and what time you will leave," she explains. "That gives you some control over the situation."

Take a Mental Health Break

If anxiety starts to creep up, Soule suggests taking what she calls a micro mental health break. These mini mental health breaks don’t have to take a lot of time, but they’re ways you can recharge by increasing connection with your partner and kids. "Maybe it’s just a couple of deep breaths, a short meditation, five minutes of dancing in the kitchen, or an extra long hug from a partner," says Soule.

Eat Right

When you’re frantically busy, it’s easy to forgo healthy food and opt for convenience instead. Soule suggests that parents think about food as fuel for powering through the holiday season. According to her, "It's widely known that when we are eating in ways that fuel our body, as well as do things like lowering our caffeine, sugar, and alcohol intake, we feel better both mentally and physically." She adds, "Feeling fueled and energized with good food and intuitive movement may be one of the biggest keys to keeping our stress levels at bay during the holiday season."

Make Time for Movement

Oftentimes, exercise is the first thing that goes during the busy holiday season, but it can also be critical for accomplishing all of the extra fun and activities during this time of year. Soule suggests continuing to carve out time for movement and exercise, despite the busy holiday calendar. "But I will say you should lower your expectations," she says. "It doesn’t have to be an hour workout. Maybe you can squeeze in 10 minutes."

Get Some Sleep

Getting adequate sleep is crucial for decreasing stress and anxiety, but catching those zzz’s can feel elusive. "We often have so many thoughts flowing through our minds at once that it can feel hard to quiet the mind enough to fall asleep," notes Soule. She recommends prepping for good sleep by doing things that are conducive to getting rest, like eating foods that fuel the body, prioritizing movement, and engaging in mindful meditation.

Give the Gift of Presence

Life in the 21st century is full of distractions that prevent us from being fully present with our families. "Spending quality time is so much more important than spending a lot of time," Soule says. "So instead of feeling like you have to knock all the things off the holiday tradition list this year so you can have hashtag-worthy holidays, remember that one meaningful connection with your child is so much more powerful than a million moments spent together and disconnected." She suggests activities like hot cocoa and a conversation, watching a favorite holiday movie, or going for a walk.

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