The Secret to a Stress-Free Christmas

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Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to escape from the tedious daily routine, but it can also turn into a nightmare and become the most stressful time of the year. Since Christmas is when all the family gets together and sometimes your stress levels rise extremely and instead of enjoying the holidays, you end up with Christmas stress and regret joining the family get together.

Apart from that, the time before Christmas is like a stepping stone for all the holiday stress. You have to worry about Christmas preparations, shop for presents, organise the Christmas dinner and think of fun family activities to do. Even before Christmas arrives, you are already stressed and anxious. Here are some secret Christmas stress relief tips that could help you beat holiday stress this year:

  • Learn to say “No”. You have to be gentle to yourself and spend some time alone and enjoy the things that make you happy. If you feel that all of the tasks around Christmas preparations are stressing you, or that other rely too much on you and want you to do all the work, just say “No”. Indulge in all the small things that give you happiness, even if it’s just a cup of warm tea.
  • Surround yourself with positive people. This will charge you with positive energy and help you keep calm at Christmas.
  • Keep things under control. You are by no means a magician and you can’t tackle more than two tasks at the same time. Don’t try to complete all of your Christmas goals in one day. Set realistic goals and try to complete one or two of them per day. This way you will have enough time for every single task and you will feel satisfied after you complete it. It’s quite a simple trick on how to keep holiday stress at a minimum, right?
  • You don’t have to follow traditions that stress you or make you feel uncomfortable. Try to find a fun way how to do them. After all, there is no right or wrong way to celebrate Christmas.
  • If you have a strict budget for Christmas decorations, don’t go over it just because the family across the street has more fairy lights or something like that. Christmas isn’t about competing, it’s about spending time together.

Here’s how to keep holiday stress at a minimum when it comes to all the Christmas preparations

Christmas Preparations on a Budget

You know that after Christmas passes, all you are lefts with is a massive amount of credit card bills and empty bank accounts. If you wonder how to deal with stress of Christmas budgeting, you stress reduction strategy should be:

  • Set a straight budget and write down all of the thing you thing you want, or think you will need, this Christmas. Write down their costs, even how much you intend to spend on food, drinks and phone calls/Christmas cards.
  • Calculate how much all of the things from your list will cost you. If the amount is too much to handle and you think you will have to use a credit card or all of your savings, remove some of the things. Decide which ones you’ll really need in order to have a good Christmas celebration.
  • You can start a “Christmas jar” and set aside a small sum each week. Do this one or two months before December and by the time Christmas arrives you’d save a reasonable amount that you can add to your Christmas budget.

Christmas Presents

Who doesn’t like Christmas presents? There isn’t a bigger thrill than opening the gifts under the Christmas tree in the morning. However, if you are the one who buys the presents and have a big family and lots of friends, this can cost you a lot and overload you with stress. Here’s how to reduce the holiday stress around Christmas presents this year:

  • Buy presents only for the children.
  • Have s Secret Santa. You and your family can draw a name out of hat and buy a present only for that person. This way everyone will end up with a gift.
  • Set a strict limit on the cost of Christmas presents.

Christmas Shopping

The number one factor in the rise of holiday stress levels is Christmas shopping. In order to reduce them, you can follow these Christmas stress relief tips:

  • Make a shopping list that includes all the gifts you wish to buy. You can do a separate list for the groceries you’ll need to prepare the Christmas dinner.
  • Cross out each entry after you buy the item. This way you will avoid duplication and keep track of your Christmas shopping.
  • Do your Christmas shopping earlier. Don’t wait until the week before Christmas. This way you will avoid all of the stress from waiting in lines and fighting over the items you want.
  • Don’t forget about the Christmas tree. We live in a modern world and you can avoid the stress from picking the perfect tree by relying on the services of online Christmas tree companies. They offer Christmas tree delivery, installation and recycling at reasonable prices.

All the Small Things

 There are tons of small things that can add up to holiday stress. You might not notice them, but they are there, building up your stress levels, making you anxious and depressed. The tips that will help you reduce Christmas stress are:

  • Use relaxation techniques. Take deep breath and focus on your breathing. Try to clear your mind for a few minutes and concentrate on your inner peace.
  • Don’t try to beat the stress with alcohol, cigarettes or other drugs. They won’t make you feel better. You can lower stress levels by doing something for yourself or buying yourself a little gift.
  • Prepare your Christmas cards earlier. Overseas mail takes longer to deliver and you have to send your cards by the end of November.
  • Buy all of your Christmas decoration and necessities, like cards, wrapping paper and other, right after Christmas. Take advantage of all the sales and get Christmas items up to 95% cheaper than their original price.
  • Avoid topics that trigger family arguments. Christmas isn’t the right time to talk about politics, sports and other. Instead of this, try to think of fun family activities to do after lunch or dinner.

Follow all of the above tips and you will definitely have a stress-free Christmas this year.

Desiree Thomson
Desiree Thomson works as marketing manager at a London Christmas tree company. She loves her job because she gets to meet all sorts of people and learns from their experience and knowledge. Desiree is interested in green living, blogging and yoga.