My Top 5 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Stress

So many years ago, my guys.

Can you believe the holiday season is already here? It’s time to wrap up calendar year projects, go to holiday parties, buy all the things if we do gifts, decorate, and get ready emotionally and physically for the dawn of a new decade.

It can be a joyous and fun time for many, and a sad lonely time for others. But regardless of how this season sits it is almost always a time of increased stress and overwhelm.

Of course keeping your overall load down is the most important thing (go grab my book if you don’t already have it as it will help you do just that!) but in the meantime I put together a list of my top five tips for keeping stress down at the holiday season

  1. Get clear on what is most important to you at the holiday season and then use this to decide what you are going to say ‘yes’ to and what you are going to say ‘no’ to. If you want to feel peaceful? Say no to the 4 parties on one day. If you want to feel energetic? Put your phone down and go to bed on time. If you want to keep your immune system healthy? Be moderate with your indulgences and wash your hands a gazillion times a day.
  2. Pay attention to your immune system. One of the best ways to keep your stress down is to stay healthy through the winter. This means keeping your immune system in tip top shape. So in addition to that watch your indulgences thing, you’ll also want to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D. I usually recommend getting your levels tested and shooting for a blood level of 50-70 ng/ml. For most adults I typically see that 2000-5000 iu of vitamin D daily is an appropriate dose. Of course, check with your doctor on specifics.
  3. Be sure to prioritize sleep. You’ll be more resilient, healthier, in a better mood, and more able to deal with the holiday stress. Enough good quality sleep is one of the biggest keys to keeping your mood in check. (If you need some tips for better sleep consider my free 8 day Energy Infusion email series!)
  4. Studies show that volunteering is good for your own stress level—as long as your motivation is for the benefit of others and not yourself. Find an organization you think is doing great work and carve out some time to help.
  5. Set boundaries. With the onslaught of parties and events, visitors and responsibilities it’s easy to get into more than we can reasonably handle. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no.’ My favorite tip for this is to tell people, when they ask for something to say ‘I’m not 100% sure if that can work for me, I’ll send you an email by tomorrow end of day to let you know.’ That gives you a chance to actually consider whether it is something you really want to do, and also makes it a little easier to let people down gently.

I could go on and on and on here but for now, try these. And please let me know how it goes. I really want to know (I’m @DrSamanthaND on all the socials, so you don’t even have to email me)!

Yours in Health,

 

 

PS: Here’s an info-graphic version of this article if you need a visual reminder!

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