3 Mindful Tips to Destress During the Holiday Season

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! 

Well, for some people. 

Quite frankly, the holidays can be overwhelming. From financial woes to family frustrations, it’s no surprise that many individuals suffer from seasonal stressors. If a festive change in your routine has thrown you for a loop, don’t worry. Read this article for three mindful tips to de-stress this holiday season!

#1 Give Yourself the Gift of Boundaries

Many people struggle to set boundaries around their family members. It makes sense that you don’t want to hurt their feelings. However, sometimes sparing the feelings of others can cost you your own holiday joy.

If you want to keep it kind, without sacrificing your personal space, try some of these techniques for laying down boundaries with family this season:

• Have a schedule – Spending time with family can be broken up appropriately if you have a proper schedule. Make it clear that you need time to get other things done, like work, exercise, or meditation. Your family will understand if you take a few hours per day to work on your to-do list—plus you’ll get some much-needed alone time.

• Practice patience – Tensions tend to run high during the holidays. When you have a group of different people coming together, you won’t always agree on everything. If you feel an argument beginning to boil over, consider excusing yourself from the conversation to preserve your mental health. Don’t let your holidays be ruined by anger!

• Prepare for triggers – By the time you’ve reached adulthood, you probably have a pretty good idea of what behaviors and comments get under your skin. Whether it’s certain questions, inappropriate behavior, or something else that causes you stress, it’s important to make a mental plan for how you’re going to react to these triggers.

Holiday Wish List Idea: Incorporate mindfulness into the coming year by asking for a mindfulness journal. This is one of the best ways to understand your own thoughts and find your inner peace!

#2 Get into The Spirit With CBD

When facing stressful situations, many people find relief in CBD. Cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive hemp extract, is known for its calming properties. This is because it binds with the endocannabinoid receptors in the brain, which are responsible for regulating:

• Sleep
• Mood
• Anxiety
• Nervous system response

Though some people are fond of the more—ahem—psychoactive hemp products, being around family or traveling to a different state can make these de-stressors difficult to use. Fortunately, CBD is legal nationwide, and won’t put you under the influence of anything other than relaxation!

#3 Stick to a Seasonal Budget

If you’ve ever seen the 1989 comedy Christmas Vacation, you know the importance of receiving a holiday bonus (and how not receiving one naturally lends itself to kidnapping your boss).

Why? Because the holidays are EXPENSIVE! 

Like many hardworking people, both on-screen and in real life, you may not be receiving a seasonal bonus this year. The economy is at a low point right now, and the idea of overspending on gifts is causing people even more stress than usual.

Creating a budget for this pricey time of year is a great way to be mindful of your spending and cut down on financial stress:

• Start with fixed expenses – First, calculate the things you absolutely need this month. This includes rent, food, and utilities (hello, central heating!). 

• Set aside a gift percentage – You’ll want to determine the exact percentage of your income that can be spent on gift-giving. This should hover around 5-10%.

• Divide the total – Once you’ve calculated this percentage, you can divvy up these costs to figure out how much you can spend on each person. Start with the innermost circle, like immediate family or a significant other, then move on to friends and acquaintances.

Holiday Wish List Idea: Ask for a budgeting planner this year to set you up for financial success next holiday season! Ivory Paper Co. makes a wide variety of these planners in all sorts of colors and designs—perfectly fit for anyone’s taste.

If Scrooge Could Do It, So Can You

The holidays can be tough, but that doesn’t mean the entire season is a write-off.

By implementing a little mindfulness into your holidays this year, you may find that things aren’t as hard as they used to be!