Oh the Holidays! For some it’s the most wonderful time of the year and for others it’s the most stressful time of the year.
It starts with Halloween. If you have kids, or you yourself are into dressing up for Halloween, it can be stressful deciding which costume to wear. Then there’s the difficult decision of how much candy to buy for trick-or-treaters. You don’t want to buy too little and run out of the precious sugary treats. You also don’t want to buy too much because then you’ll have left over candy around the house that you’ll be tempted to eat.
Then, there’s Thanksgiving… If you host Thanksgiving dinner it can be a bit overwhelming with planning the menu and coordinating when to cook each dish when so they’re all ready to eat at the same time. If you travel during Thanksgiving this can be just as stressful as preparing Thanksgiving dinner, if not more. Thanksgiving week is the busiest air travel week of the year which means the airports are super crowded. Then there’s the weather. The weather this time of year can be very unpredictable in most parts of the country which means unexpected delays during your travels.
Then, comes Christmas, with the never ending list of presents to buy for your kids, spouse, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, friends, coworkers and four-legged critters. You spend much of your free time shopping online and in brick and mortar stores. Then there’s Christmas cards. Do you send them, or not? If you do, which photo do you use? Do you add a letter with an update about the family?
Phew! I’m exhausted just writing this! All the decision making during the holidays can be overwhelming on top of all the normal daily decisions we need to make. I’m here to share six tips with you on how to make it through the holidays by keeping your anxiety and stress levels at a minimum.
Tip #1- Make Self-Care a Priority
This is the most important and most valuable tip I can share with you. Often times self-care is the first thing that gets thrown out the window when life gets super busy. Keeping up with your self-care, whatever that looks like for you, will help tremendously when your stress levels are higher than normal.
If you have a number of self-care activities you do to keep yourself calm, choose 2-3 that are most important to you and that you know you can maintain during the holidays. These can be as simple and easy as writing in your journal for 5 minutes a day or meditating for 5 minutes a day or spending 5 minutes a day alone in silence to savor a cup of coffee or tea.
Tip #2- Focus on Experiences Rather Than Material Things
This can be as simple as walking around your neighborhood admiring your neighbor’s holiday decorations. People get very creative with holiday decorations these days.
Challenge yourself to try new recipes that include a simple twist on a traditional holiday meal. You could start testing these new recipes for holiday meals now. My husband loves being my recipe tester when I create a new recipe or find one online or in a cookbook.
This can also be spending quality time with loved ones instead of giving material gifts. In my opinion, creating amazing memories is much more valuable than a material item. We have a list of holiday movies we like to watch every year. It’s a fun way to spend time together laughing at the classic one-liners from movies we love. And don’t get me started on Hallmark movies!
Tip #3- Offer Healthy Treats for the Holidays
Get creative with the treats you give to the trick-or-treaters that come to your house. Consider offering them bags of trail mix instead of candy. There’s so many healthy versions of trail mix available online and in the major grocery stores. There’s so many dessert options available to buy or recipes you can make from scratch. Check out our crustless pumpkin pie and hot chocolate recipes.
There are many alternative sweeteners to cane sugar (white sugar) that our bodies digest more easily than cane sugar. A few that I like to use are coconut sugar, maple syrup, and honey. There are several recipes online that use alternative sweeteners. Choose 2-3 and experiment with them in your own kitchen.
Tip #4- Get Moving!
While movement isn’t the most important variable in weight loss or weight maintenance, it is an important component to reducing stress and anxiety. When we move our bodies through strength training or any type of cardio workout our bodies produce feel-good hormones. Feel-good hormones help us feel more relaxed, gives us energy, and we feel happier overall.
Be intentional about getting movement in first thing in the morning on holidays. Sometimes my hubby and I will gather a group of friends for a Thanksgiving morning or Christmas Eve morning hike or sprint session. We’re spending time with people we care about and we’re getting our movement in early in the day. Yay! I always feel more relaxed the rest of the day which helps me enjoy the holiday more.
Tip #5 - Give Yourself Permission to Indulge in Holiday Treats in Moderation
When we eat mostly nutrient dense whole foods our bodies naturally don’t crave sugar or junk food. However, if you do crave a sweet holiday treat or savory food you normally wouldn’t eat it’s okay to eat it and enjoy it. For example, pumpkin is my favorite fall flavor so I give myself permission to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte or slice of pumpkin pie on occasion throughout the holiday season.
One holiday tradition my hubby and I have is to enjoy Bailey’s Irish cream in coffee and mimosas (although not mixed together) while we open presents with our family on Christmas morning. It adds to the enjoyment of opening presents in our pajamas. This is a holiday indulgence we look forward to all year round.
Tip #6- Hire a Health Coach to be Your Accountability Partner Throughout the Holiday Season
Why wait until January 1st to start creating healthier lifestyle habits? How much longer are you going to wait to create wellness abundance in your life? Your life is happening right now. You don’t have to be 100% ready to make changes in your life. In fact, I’m here to tell you that you’re never going to be 100% ready to step out of your comfort zone by investing in yourself and making small lifestyle changes to improve your physical and mental health. When you make it through the holiday season feeling more relaxed than before, leaner, and with increased energy, you’ll gain the confidence you need to maintain the healthy lifestyle habits you’ve already begun to incorporate when January arrives.
The bottom line is to focus on what’s most important to you this holiday season. If it’s keeping yourself sane during these few months I encourage you to put your self-care first and spend quality time with your loved ones. Keep a positive mindset no matter what is happening around you. Focus on everything you’re grateful for in your life. In our Wellness Abundance online course we dedicate an entire module to gratitude because we feel it’s crucial to being the healthiest version of yourself.
Happy holidays from Honey Bee Wellness!