Navigating Holiday Stress While Living Healthy

"The holiday season is often a time of celebration and time with loved ones. However, between busier social calendars, gift shopping, and hosting, on top of your work and home life, this time can also cause stress for many.

Setting Realistic Expectations

It’s crucial to acknowledge that your regular routine may be disrupted during the change of seasons and holidays. It is not a normal time of year, so don’t expect things to go the same as they do in other, less busy times of the year. It is how you adjust your routine and mindset to the holiday reality that matters most.

To put this into practice, here are some tips for planning and adjusting for common challenges you may face over the next couple of months:

• Focus on what matters. If you know you are going to a holiday party or family member’s house, plan for the foods you will want to enjoy that are unique to this time of year, like your favorite pecan pie, cookies, or other holiday favorites – rather than more usual things like cheese, crackers, chips, dips, and pretzels.
• Set up your environment for success. It’s easier to practice healthy behaviors when the environment works for you and not against you. You can optimize your environment throughout the season by putting holiday cookies or sweets in a cabinet rather than on the counter, so it’s not constantly in sight when you enter the room or having ready-to-eat veggies and fruits easily accessible for snacking or to mix into meals; or setting a bedtime alarm every day to help you stick to a healthy sleep routine.
• Focus on what you can control. When you feel like you don’t have control over a situation and it’s causing you stress, take a deep breath, redirect your attention to what you can control, and connect to the present moment. Make time to prioritize the things that you want to do at the moment.

Embracing Self-Compassion and Gratitude