Spread the Love

Holiday shopping. Planning dozens of activities with family and friends. It can be really overwhelming. Well, if you’re experiencing holiday stress, take note of these simple tips for coping.

What You Can Do to Manage Holiday Stress

Get Some Morning Sunlight to Boost Your Mood and Decrease Stress

Sunlight is essential for keeping our body’s natural rhythm. Being under the sun stimulates the release of melatonin, which helps you feel sleepy at night.

So, if you find yourself losing sleep over the holidays, get some morning sun. Moreover, sunlight triggers our brain to release more serotonin which is a mood-boosting hormone. This is important especially for people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Also, recent research shows that increased exposure to the sun from 8 AM to 10 AM leads to better sleep.

This is a good way to begin to manage holiday stress.

morning sunlight helps better sleep

Morning Sunlight Boosts Melatonin

Immerse Yourself in Nature 

Sometimes connecting with nature is just what you need.

According to a timely study published in Frontiers In Psychology, 20 to 30 minutes spent in nature is enough to lower stress levels. This study is quite revolutionary as it measured the amount of salivary cortisol before and after the nature experience. In particular, there was an amazing 21% drop in the stress hormone cortisol, after either a nature walk or just sitting in a place in contact with nature. What a pleasant way to manage holiday stress!

immerse yourself in nature to reduce cortisol

Immerse Yourself in Nature to Reduce Cortisol

Try Acupressure 

If you’re into acupressure, squeezing the area at the base of the thumb and index finger for 4- 5 seconds can help. This pressure point, known as LI-4 or Hegu, may relieve muscle tension and headaches.  You need to do this for both hands.

In a Japanese study, participants had lower stress levels after four weeks of self-administered acupressure. You can also consider acupressure for better sleep. Allyson Nevard of Good Chi Acupuncture in Sudbury, Massachusetts describes the application of acupressure as “nudging the body back into balance.”

Hegu Acupressure for Stress

Hegu Acupressure Point

Plan Your Holiday Activities Wisely to Manage Holiday Stress

One of the reasons many people feel stressed out is adding too many activities to their schedule. While it’s understandable that we want to make the holidays special, many people try to do too much.

You need to be realistic and scale back if there are too many things on your to-do, to-go, and to-buy list.

For example, you want your house to be all decked out for Christmas, prepare a big Christmas dinner, and go shopping for gifts. Perhaps you can just highlight a certain area of your house, cook simple hearty dishes, and shop online.

As you know, things don’t have to be perfect for them to be fun and memorable.

Christmas stress

Make Time for Yourself

This is perhaps one of the best tips for reducing holiday stress. We tend to do a lot for our loved ones snd sometimes forget to take care of ourselves.

Always set aside time to do things that make you happy. Whether it’s listening to your favorite tunes, crafting, or reading, you need them for your emotional and mental health.

At Everybody in Mind Wellness Center, we believe that self-care is never selfish. That’s why we offer a variety of services and wellness technologies to help you.

If you’re into yoga and meditation, there are several approaches you can explore. You can get heavily meditated in our Somadome Meditation Pod or our Crystal Bed Therapy. You might also like to try Reiki, Ajna light meditation, or hypnotherapy with Carla Chalah, owner of Hemisphere Hypnotherapy.

So, remember when you’re feeling stressed out during the holiday season, get back to healthy habits and just enjoy time with the people in your life.