‘Tis the Season

Another year has flown by and we find ourselves in the swing of the holiday season. Christmas and New Years are quickly approaching and with those holidays, comes increased stress.

Although the holidays are time to spend with your friends and family, it can be very stressful and overwhelming. We need to shop for Christmas presents, spend time to celebrate with others all while still living our lives.

I find myself excited but also dreading this time of the year. I want to be able to spend time with those that I care about and get them presents to show that. However, that is difficult when you are a full-time student or working in a full time job with virtually no money. The holidays are also times to see your friends and family that you don’t see often and with that, comes the questions:

What are you doing with your life? Are you dating anyone? When will you graduate school?

I am comfortable taking to my friends and family about my life and my school but, the process can sometimes just be repetitive and overwhelming. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by answering these questions because sometimes, I don’t have the right answers. I am still in school and figuring out what I want to do with my life. These questions around the holidays just remind me of the unknown.

Even though it is just family and friends trying to catch up, I find myself stressing about my future. This year, I have thought of some techniques that I may be able to use during the holidays to live in the moment and avoid these moments of stress and panic:

1. Realize that everything is not always under you control – go with the flow and submerge yourself in this new experience

2. Don’t forget to take care of yourself – the holidays are about the gift of giving, but you are supposed to take care of yourself both physically and mentally

3. It is okay to step away – sometimes you need to politely step away from a conversation or a party to just take a second to breathe

4. It is okay to not have an answer – sometimes you may not know about what you want to do with your future or your career and that is okay

Using these techniques to manage holiday stress can help you live in the moment and enjoy that time with family and friends in a good, healthy way. Have a great holiday and a great new year!

Have you ever dealt with overwhelming stress over the holidays? How do you cope with family, friends and questions that you’re tired of answering or may not know the answer to?