For a smoother holiday season

Holiday season is a big celebratory period for certain people, but it may be a source of stress, sadness, or mitigated feelings for others. Between family gatherings, parties with friends, higher than usual expenses which may cause financial stress, an overflow of food and alcohol, or a feeling of loneliness that gets ahold of us - reasons to be tired at the end of holiday season may be numerous. Whatever relationship we have with this time of the year, it is possible to adopt a few habits in order to preserve and take care of ourselves a little bit more:

Plan a budget and respect it. Our value, or the love we feel towards our close ones, does not in any way depend on the amount of money we spend to purchase gifts. If present purchasing and expenses associated with the holidays make us go into debt or skip important payments, it is better to revise our holiday budget.

Make time for ourselves. It is easy to forget our own needs during the holiday season. However, it is possible to establish boundaries with our close ones in order to prevent misunderstandings, for instance regarding the time we want to leave a party. It is also possible to take a weight off our shoulders by asking help to organize a gathering. Finally, it is possible to practice our hobbies and cherished activities between gatherings, in order to reunite with ourselves and recharge our batteries.

Have a daily moment to adjust our rhythm. If we are part of the people who feel dragged from one party to another or who take charge for organizing gatherings, keeping some time to ourselves to slow down our rhythm may greatly help to preserve our well-being until the end of the holiday season. A few ideas of activities to slow ourselves down are meditation, indoor gardening or journaling. On the other hand, if we are part of these people who feel unmotivated and apathetic during holiday season, we may want to become more active, for instance by practicing outdoor activities or by practicing medium to high intensity physical activity.

Choose the people we want to be close to. It would be lying to say that all holiday gatherings are happy and without hiccups. It may be hard to establish boundaries with our close ones, but it is a courageous exercise to do so. Before inviting someone to a gathering, or before planning the amount of time we will be spending with our loved ones, we might want to first and foremost consider spending the most time with the people who make us feel best.

Author: Éliane Dussault