Managing Stress and Anxiety During the Holidays

The holiday season is rapidly approaching. For many people, this can be a time of joy, excitement, and connection. For others, this season can be fraught with unmet expectations, stress, and even grief. If you are feeling more anxious than jolly this season, you are not alone.  

So, what can make it feel so intense? Things like disruptions in routine, increased time spent with important or strained relationships, and a general uptick in pace and expectations can all turn up the volume on whatever is already happening in a person’s life. For instance, financial stress gets louder when there is an increased need or desire to purchase gifts. Experience a loss in your life? Grief can feel especially isolating during a time when there is a great deal of noise around the importance of “togetherness.” It’s not that the holidays always bring up problems, but they can highlight them.

So what can you do to manage the intensity? Start by turning down the volume within yourself. Here are some questions that might be helpful to ask yourself if you want to turn down the noise without totally tuning out:

1. “What are the things that either stir me up or get me down the most during this season?”

2. “Where do I feel the intensity in my body?”

3. “Am I able to do anything to calm that feeling?” “What have I tried?” “What works/doesn’t work?”

4. “How am I contributing to my own loud volume?” “Am I saying Yes to the things I want to say Yes to, and No to the things I want to say No to?” “If not, what’s getting in the way? “Can I do anything about it?”

5. “What is the most important thing I want to keep in mind during this season regardless of what I am feeling?”

If you start to manage your stress and anxiety in this way, you are aiming to manage the dynamics that are within your jurisdiction. You cannot control that which is outside of you.

If it feels like you’re fighting a losing battle, therapy can help! For many, the bucket of chronic life stress has gotten so full that the overflow of Overwhelm is inevitable. Working with a licensed therapist can help you lighten the load so that you can live in a way that is in alignment with health and what you actually want, instead of from a place of survival. 

Stephanie Ruyter, LPC Associate

Supervised by Deana Reed, LPC-S #68220

stephanieruyter@nlcc1.com