Tips for Managing Mom Stress During the Holidays
The holidays are coming… Do you feel stressed yet?
As a woman, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of having picture-perfect holidays. In your vision, everyone is happy and healthy. The food is delicious, gifts are perfect, and the decorations look like they belong on HGTV. The pressure you put on yourself to bring this vision to life soon becomes overwhelming. You start to feel exhausted. Then, before you know it, the holidays turn into the most stressful time of the year
One of the biggest complaints during the holiday season is stress. But, this stress disproportionately affects women. A study from the American Psychological Association found that 44% of women feel stressed during the holidays. This is 13% greater than the men they polled. The women in this study cite various causes of stress.
This included:
Juggling work and family responsibilities
Having less time to get things done
Pressure to give or get gifts
But here’s the interesting part. Instead of dealing with their stress, most women either ignore it altogether. Or, turn to food, alcohol, or other unhealthy coping mechanisms to feel better.
This study highlights how common holiday stress is for women and how problematic holiday stress is. But, you don’t have to let the holidays get the better of your mental health. Today I want to share my thoughts on this matter. I'll be sharing some practical stress-reducing tips to use this holiday season.
Simplify the Holidays
First thing first, I want you to examine the source of your holiday stress. Is it finding the right gift for everyone on your list? Is it navigating holiday gatherings? Or, is it something like dealing with family drama, a lack of time, or financial worries? Whatever your source of stress is, ask yourself, if it is worth it. Are there smaller things that I could do to make fun holiday experiences for my family?
You may usually drag the family out to a big tree lighting in the city and stress about parking and crowds. But, you could instead drive around town and look at the lights in the neighborhoods. Or, you could bake cookies from scratch, make large messes, and spend all day cooking. You buy store-bought dough and enjoy the extra time decorating them with family. All these things still bring joy and offer you the chance to create fun memories with your family. But, without the added anxiety.
Focus On Time for Yourself
It’s easy to get caught up in the chaos of the holidays and doing things for your family. Somehow you add lots of extra to-dos to your list without carving out any extra time. So it’s no wonder you feel exhausted and stressed. But, look for opportunities to practice even five minutes of self-care amid the chaos and do something that brings you joy.
It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant or luxurious. It can be as simple as sitting in your car for 5 minutes and listening to music. Or, going for a short walk, applying a face mask, or sipping your favorite holiday-themed drink. You will find that this time gives you that extra mood boost to tackle your lengthy list.
Set Healthy Boundaries
How many times have you thought “I have to do ___, it’s what’s expected of me?” It may be going to your family’s holiday gathering. Or, buying your kids an extravagant gift, and cooking a huge meal (that your kids likely won’t eat). Doing things that don’t bring you joy because you feel like it’s expected of you is not great for your mental health.
It usually winds up with you feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and resentful. In turn, this makes the holidays far less enjoyable for you. So instead of going with the flow to please others, set some boundaries. Allow yourself the opportunity to say no to holiday activities that make you cringe. Or, if you can’t say no to it, talk with the other parties and find a compromise that you can live with. Regardless, advocate for what’s best for you and your family.
Make a Plan to Deal with Your Anxiety Triggers
When you become stressed, it’s tough to come up with a plan to get away from the thing that is triggering your anxiety. This happens because your brain is very preoccupied in the moment. So much that it actually begins to shut down. As a result, it reduces your capabilities to problem solve. Thus, it’s vital you take inventory of the things that make you feel stressed. Both in general and during the holiday season. Then, come up with a plan to deal with those when they arise.
For example, say you always feel anxious this time of the year.
You have a little downtime to rest and recuperate. In this case, it’s very important that you draw boundaries around your time. This way, you can practice good self-care. It’s also important to know ways to ground yourself when you begin to feel stressed again. You could take a walk, play a game on your phone, drink a warm beverage, or do some deep breathing.
Begin Anxiety Treatment in Westchester County this Holiday Season
You deserve to enjoy the holiday season and the experiences that come with it. Dealing with your anxiety is a vital first step to creating these better boundaries. I would be happy to support you from my Westchester, NY-based counseling practice. I commonly see clients from Pleasantville, Chappaqua, Bedford, and Mt. Kisco, but I can see clients from anywhere in the state of New York. To start your therapy journey, please follow these simple steps:
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Other Services Offered with Joanna N Rosenblatt
Anxiety treatment is not the only service I offer from my Westchester, NY-based therapy practice. I also offer therapy for women, trauma, infertility, maternal overwhelm, and parenting stress. Also, I'm happy to offer anxiety treatment, OCD treatment, sexuality and intimacy issues, and online therapy. Feel free to learn more about me, or visit my blog today!