The countdown is on! It’s less than a month until the new year. No pressure, right? It’s no wonder that the holidays can seem like a race sometimes. You think you have plenty of time and then you realize there are mere weeks left in the year. But you can do it! We believe in you! Here are some ways to de-stress during the holidays, so you can stay on track and focus on your New Year's resolutions.

Remember that Worrying Doesn’t Help

We know it can be hard to avoid worrying about some things, but can you think of a single time that worrying about the outcome of something has helped? Probably not. Keep that in mind the next time worry and negative thoughts start to creep into your head and try your best to let them go. 

Negative thinking can trigger your body’s stress response and set off an unhealthy chain reaction in your body. Staying optimistic will help you think more clearly and get through challenges better. Practice deep breathing exercises when you start to stress or worry over something, or take a break and do something that relaxes you like listening to music, reading a book, or taking a walk. Also, try stress-busting supplements like Magnesium Taurate or 5-HTP.

Keep Your Immune System Healthy

During the holiday season and cold winter months, it’s important to support your immune system. Take your vitamins, eat a nutrient-rich diet, and get plenty of sleep during the holiday season. Support your immune system with a Probiotic Blend for Immune Support, and add immune support vitamins and nutrients to your diet like Free-Form L-Lysine (which also helps fight stress) or Super Stress Vitamin B-Complex with Vitamin C.

To help stay healthy during the winter months and during all that hustle and bustle, resist the temptation to keep moving to try to get everything done and letting your sleep routine and healthy habits go. Rest up, drink plenty of herbal tea, and hydrate your body to give yourself the best chance for staying healthy during the holidays.

Go Easy on Yourself

Between all the dinner parties, shopping, holiday chores, and other commitments, it’s easy to get overwhelmed during the holidays. But let’s face it. No one can do everything. Don’t put pressure on yourself to be perfect — to throw the perfect dinner party, give the perfect gifts or have the perfect holiday decorations. Sometimes, less really is more.

Give yourself permission to say 'No' occasionally. Take care of yourself and don’t worry so much about impressing everyone else. Buy yourself a gift, too, or maybe even consider hiring a cleaning service to take a little pressure off.

Don’t Over Spend

This is a big one. When you plan your holiday shopping, set a realistic holiday budget and stick to it. Racking up debt to buy expensive gifts will create stress and anxiety that stays with you long after the holiday season. The value of a gift is much more than its price tag. Instead of thinking big or expensive, think personal. Give your friends and family gifts that say you care without blowing your budget and causing more stress for yourself later.

Try Some Holiday Hacks

Take full advantage of technology to simplify holiday tasks like shopping, sending cards and planning parties. There are plenty of apps and websites that will let you create custom holiday cards online and have them mailed straight to your family without you ever needing to leave the house. Similarly, you can manage event invitations and RSVPs digitally to take the manual work out of tracking guests.

Think of creative ways to make the holidays less stressful. Simplify your gift giving, and enlist family members to help with everything from holiday chores to holiday dinners. Check out our earlier post on Holiday Hacks for Your Health for more tips.

Evaluate Your Resolutions

If you haven’t started thinking about your New Year’s resolutions yet, now is a good time! While you think about it, recall your past New Year’s resolutions. Did they work out? Did you stick to them? If you succeeded, think about what you did to set yourself up for that success. If you fell a bit short of your goals, consider why that happened. Were your goals realistic? Did you prepare enough in advance?

Also, consider what you really want to achieve, not just what you think you should achieve. Get to the core of what would make you happy, healthy and less stressed in the new year, and lay some groundwork in advance to ensure success.

During potentially stressful times like the holidays, it’s more important than ever to keep a positive and grounded outlook. Take care of your body and mind and set realistic goals both for your holiday spending and your New Year’s resolutions. The above tips will help you combat stress and welcome the new year healthier and happier than ever.

Share your secrets for avoiding holiday stress in the comments below. We love hearing from our readers!

You might also like 7 Delicious Stress-Busting Foods… Just in Time for the Holidays  and Immune Support During the Winter Months.

 

 

 

About Amy Sunderman, MS, RD
Director of Science & Innovation, Registered Dietitian, Swanson Health

Amy is a registered dietitian, nutritionist and author with over 20 years of experience in the supplement industry. Amy is passionate about dietary supplements and the health benefits they offer. She enjoys working to find novel nutritional ingredients with strong clinical research behind them to drive innovation and provide health-promoting products to consumers.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.