by Shoshana Jackson

Created on: November 11, 2010

Most people would agree, the holidays can be stressful. The sheer volume of activities and social events alone can cause great stress. Not to mention the financial strain the holidays can put on most families. Regardless of where your holiday stress is coming from there are a few things you can do to keep your holiday joyous and peaceful.

Plan Ahead

If you’re worried about getting everything done, but aren’t really sure what needs to get done. You need to sit down with your family and write out a Christmas to-do list. Make a plan so that you know what’s going, this will help reduce the stress caused by all of the little things that pop up. List all of the activities you want to do as well as the events that you’ll be attending. Knowing what’s going on, putting it on your family calendar and keeping track of what you’re doing will help reduce your stress.

Be Realistic

It’s easy to make a mile long holiday plan. But is it realistic. Remember in addition to all of your holiday activities you still have everyday life to live. There’s still work, kids, school and everything else you have to do. So, don’t cram your schedule so full, that you don’t have time to sit down and enjoy yourself. This is another source of holiday stress. Do what you can do. Plan for the basics and everything else is a bonus.

Get Help

 Delegate some of the household chores and holiday responsibilities to other members of your family. This will free up some of your time. By planning ahead and allowing others to help you’ll find you’ll have more time to complete your holiday tasks as well as some time to relax and enjoy the season.

Hire Help

If the holidays tend to always stress you out, even when you have a realistic plan and your whole family behind you, it may be time to get professional help. It could as simple as hiring someone to help clean up, hiring a local babysitter to watch your kids so you can take a break, or getting someone to help with holiday baking. This doesn’t need to break the bank. You can ask friends and family, some of them might know someone who could use a little holiday cash. You’ll be helping someone out and relieving some of your stress.

The most important thing you can do is listen to your body. It could be sleeplessness, anxiety, headaches, body aches, or just irritability. If you feel stressed take a break from what you're doing. Go for a walk, take a nap or just go out or find something fun to do. Take care of yourself. The holidays are supposed to be joyful, not just for your family, friends and guests, but also for you.

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