In the movies, the holidays are almost always portrayed as an uninterrupted stream of joy, peace, and goodwill toward all. However, the reality can be much different, and summed up in one word: stressful! Yes, even when we’re supposed to be the least stressed out, we end up stressed out anyway due to the sheer number of things we’re expected to do during the holiday season. However, just a few simple changes can kick that awful holiday stress out of your holly jolly holiday world forever!
Don’t Be Afraid to Talk to Someone
It might sounds surprising, but the holiday season is a gigantic trigger for depression, not to mention stress. If you aren’t enjoying yourself and see Christmas as a chore, it’s time to step away and talk to someone. It doesn’t need to be a therapist— although there’s obviously no shame in that— but it’s important to connect with someone so you can get those stressful feelings out. Just talking about your feelings is a great way to identify problems and devise a solution.
Be Consistently Creative
Remember: there is no one right way to celebrate the holidays, and it’s hard to have fun doing something you feel you have to do. Expressing some creativity with your gift giving is a good way to break free of the expectations of the holidays while giving your loved ones something that really means something. Here’s an example: instead of buying presents for everyone in your family, you can draw names and give creative, personalized gifts that express your talents to the lucky person whose name you draw!
Remember What’s Important
The holidays are not about buying and receiving material objects. There, I said it. Now, the hard part: try really, really hard to remember that fact and live it every day. Attitude is contagious and yours is no different: if your friends and loved ones see you prioritizing family and faith over the consumerism that’s slowly taken over the Christmas season, you’ll affect a positive change on the world with very little effort. Even if you’re not religious, the holidays are about family and togetherness, and you can’t imitate that any other way except for being present in the lives of your loved ones.
My name is Jessica Cox, and I take pride in my ability to motivate people to live the best possible life that they can. If you’re interested in allowing me to motivate and inspire the attendees at your convention, meeting, or faith-based gathering, please call me at 520-505-1359 or contact me on my website.