Many women have mixed feelings about the holidays. While it’s one of the exciting times of the year when we get together with everyone to celebrate and enjoy, certain challenges arise due to extra stress.
Some find it hard to bring it to perfection both at home and work in this festive season. Family and friends’ gatherings can have complicated dynamics as we stay all together under one roof. The preparation stress, which grows proportionally to holiday cheer, may bring about emotional snowstorms.
Healthy communication with your people is crucial during holidays to avoid arguments and enjoy your quality time together. Follow our relationship suggestions to make Christmas easier and more joyful for you and your family.
Manage Expectations
In this season, we may feel as if battered with idealistic images of Christmas full of harmony and bliss. However, our reality can be more complicated – especially in close relationships.
Hold realistic expectations of how you and your family should spend the holidays. Individual differences, physical restraints and philosophical disagreements won’t vanish just because Christmas has arrived. Choose not to expect people to be what they are not. Just enjoy your social interactions and keep them simple. Food and gifts are important, but don’t forget what Christmas truly is for: spending quality time with your nearest and dearest.
Enjoy Common Rituals
Arrange and practice seasonal activities to bring your entire family together. Go together as a team to enjoy performing some common rituals:
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Wrap up presents.
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Make decorations for the house and the tree.
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Go ice-skating!
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Go for a winter walk!
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If it snows, build a snowman or have a snowball fight.
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Dance to Christmas tunes!
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Make crackers or bake pastry and paint it!
You don’t have to be responsible for all. Discuss with your family how you’re going to spend those days. Allocate the roles. Ask the kids to help you clean rooms, cook or set the table.
Avoid arguments over family obligations, individual priorities, in-laws, or the mess children make. Christmas is a kids’ holiday, too! Don’t stress over that disorder in your place for a while. Take it easy!
Keep It Peaceful
The pressure to make Christmas an ideal family holiday can arouse our anxiety and result in difficulties at sleeping. Take time to determine your triggers in advance. Identify who or what might probably drive you to desperation, and prepare yourself beforehand to manage it.
To reduce stress, get a fair amount of sleep and exercise. At any chance, take breathing breaks – not just when you feel anxiety rising. In a quiet place, take 5 minutes to slow your breathing: make your inhales longer than your exhales.
A high demand in family gatherings is interaction with difficult relatives. Remember, everyone has traits that you can appreciate: playfulness, generosity, or simply positive intentions. Find good qualities in that irritating family member and focus on these to boost your mood and prevent family conflicts.
Ease Control
The holidays can stir up a lot of various emotions: from warmth to frustration over disagreements, or sadness of memories of lost family members. Even if you see what exactly needs to be done for peace, remember – you can only control your own behavior, not other people’s.
To keep connected, give attention to what everyone has to say. No one’s required to agree with you on everything. Where the issue cannot be resolved, agree to disagree.
Listen to others with patience, acceptance and the intent to understand, not to judge. Respect various points of view. Everyone holds right to their opinions, feelings and beliefs.
Take Breaks
Along the road to Christmas, remember to give yourself breaks. If you take a 30 minutes’ timeout, the world won’t fall apart!
Allow yourself every day to “chill out” and take some rest. Read a book. Take a nap or a bath. Do yoga or meditate. Go for a walk with your dog. Turn the music up and dance. Or, after running around all day, get a foot massage and relax.
Do anything you feel up to – just make sure you spend some time with yourself each day. Eventually, you’ll feel the substantial benefit of it!
If you happen to have your period during the holidays, take extra care of yourself. Check out our recommended products for healthy menstrual cycles here. We wish a serene Christmas (or whatever you celebrate this time of the year) to you and your family!
