7 Ways to Manage Stress Over the Holidays

7 Ways to Manage Stress Over the Holidays

Do you find the holidays stressful? It’s such a busy time with high expectations of perfection, “comfort and joy”. How do you manage it so that you actually can enjoy it?

This year we have activities planned for nearly every evening once the kids arrive. The activities will be fun – friend and family events – but the pace will be relatively non-stop. So I’ve been thinking about how to navigate my way through the holidays in a manner that keeps me from becoming overwhelmed by all that activity.

I believe the key is to establish a healthy balance between activity and rest; “people time” and alone time with some simple grounding and calming exercises for times when all that excitement catches up with you:

  1. Take a deep breath. It relaxes you and allows your energy to flow. I enjoy this breathing exercise.
  2. Curl up on the sofa in front of the lit-up Christmas tree and take a nap!
  3. Smile! Here are eight reasons why.
  4. Take a break from work (that’s right – back away from the computer) and ask yourself what it is you want to do for the next hour or two.
  5. Make yourself a cup of homemade cocoa and count your blessings as you sip it!
  6. Use the simple technique on this page to deal with overwhelm.
  7. Try this Qigong exercise to balance your energies and calm you.

How do you navigate your way through the holiday festivities? Do you have any relaxing, balancing activities you do in the midst of the excitement and busy-ness? How will you manage stress over the holidays?

photo credit: Peter Grima

This is my 100th article here at Life, for instance! If someone had told me 99 posts ago that I’d actually make it to 100, I’d have had a hard time believing them. It’s not a blogaversary, and I tend to celebrate a LOT of anniversaries (I have a good memory for dates and I love celebrating) but I want to say just one thing; I’m so glad you’re [still] here!

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About The Author


I have always loved writing and community building. I’ve written a book about healing and happiness, The Happy Place, as well as a Community Building book, Sounding the Drum: Community Building in the Digital Age,both available at any Amazon store. I’ve been through life changes that I thought were the end of my world, but I’m still here. You never know what will happen next. Isn’t that what makes life interesting?