4 Practices to Reduce Holiday Stress

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Holidays are stressful. They often involve travel or guests, hosting or attending events, disrupted schedules, interactions with strangers and acquaintances, financial strain, and, somehow, the unrealistic expectation that this should all be fun. Here are four quick habits to work on before and during the holidays to reduce stress and increase enjoyment.

1. Remember what’s important and forget the rest. Obviously, some emotions are hard to manage: The automatic startle when we see a snake in the grass is hard to control. But the majority of our daily emotions are the result of how we think about the world. In one study, researchers recorded people at the airport reporting lost luggage to an airline. Even though the objective event was the same, people responded in different ways, from anger to anxiety to good humor. The key finding was that how people were thinking about the situation determined how they felt and how they responded to the stress. During the holidays, it can be helpful to focus on what is most important and reduce focus on everything else. Hosting an enjoyable dinner with family and friends might be an important part of the holiday. Spend a few minutes thinking about the most critical elements—perhaps having great food. This helps identify the less-important things that you can worry about less. For example, it's probably less important that the house be spotless or that the host cook the food. Focus on the critical elements and forget the rest.
2. Intentionally focus on gratitude. Studies have repeatedly shown that taking time to focus on what we’re grateful for promotes happiness and satisfaction. This has resulted in apps and planners that incorporate daily prompts to list things we’re grateful for every day. A particularly powerful way to incorporate gratitude into your holiday season is to identify something that really touched your heart. Take time to think about whatever it is or, even better, thank the person themselves. Spending time really engaging with the gratitude we feel can impact our overall joy and engagement (and some studies suggest it might even reduce the chances of getting sick).
3. Practice charitable attributions. We all have a tendency to assume that other people’s behavior reflects their characteristics. This "fundamental attribution error" means that, if someone cuts us off in traffic, we assume they are a jerk. But much of people’s behavior is driven by the situation that they are in. The person who cuts us off could be late for a job interview or rushing someone to the hospital. Usually we will never know if the person is really a jerk or if they had a legitimate reason to rush and it will not matter to them what we think. It will matter to us what we think, though. If we assume they are a jerk, we will spend time being angry and resentful. If we assume they are running late, we forgive and forget about the situation and move on with our lives. Practicing charitable attributions, especially during the holidays when everyone’s stress is higher than usual, can help keep you enjoying the holiday.
4. Spend time outside. Even a short walk outside, especially in natural settings, can have immediate benefits for our mood and ability to focus. Interacting with nature appears to have a quieting and organizing effect on the brain, permitting us to subsequently engage with tasks better, decreasing physical arousal, and improving how we feel. When stress builds up during the holiday season, taking even a few minutes outside can be a game changer.

None of these are magic fixes you’ll try once and suddenly the holiday season will be stress-free and fantastic. These are habits to remember and use as much as possible. The more you turn to them, the less stressed you should feel and the more enjoyment you should experience. Maybe even share these habits with your loved ones so they can also enjoy the season more.