4 Tips to Curb Your Holiday Anxiety - by Alex Hall

For many, the holidays are a time to kick back, relax, and enjoy good food and company. However, not everyone experiences the holidays so smoothly. For some, preparing for the holidays can be the equivalent of readying for a steady drawn-out panic attack. Anxiety affects over 40 million adults in the United States, making it the most common mental illness. Nobody wants to spend their holidays dealing with anxiety, so here are four tips for anxious people to enjoy the holiday season.  

1. Scale Back Your Activities  

Isn’t it funny that we spend our time off from work and school doing as much as we can? Holidays are supposed to be a time for relaxation and revitalization—a pause from the normal everyday routine for something a little more special. However, as soon as we clock out of work or finish our last exam before winter break, we’re already making plans to go shopping, meet up with friends, or travel to go and see family.   

While filling your calendar with all kinds of activities can be exciting, it’s also exhausting. Loading your schedule with too much can wear you down fast. You find yourself in situations where you’re double-booked, and suddenly you feel the pressure of choosing between two friends or having to back out of events you’ve already RSVP’d for. If you feel like you are the type to overcommit yourself, practice saying “no” every once and awhile. Cutting back on your holiday plans can reduce your stress and social anxiety, and also give you more time for yourself. 

 2. Plan Your Traveling Ahead of Time  

A big part of many people's holiday plans is seeing family. Sometimes, family lives far away, and we have to spend a lot of time traveling to be with them. Spending time with your loved ones is often worth the travel, but if you are an individual who suffers from travel anxiety, you may be dreading your upcoming trip. To try to avoid some of this unwanted anxiety, you will want to plan your trip as much as you can, and as early as you can. Make a checklist that you can follow leading up to your trip. Include auxiliary things you will want to sort out, like cleaning your home or making sure your pet is taken care of while you are away.  

 3. Take Care of Your Body  

It’s no secret that with the holiday season comes many delicious meals and desserts. While there’s nothing wrong with indulging yourself in the occasional holiday treat, overeating is a common problem that many of us face during the season. Overindulging on holiday meals and treats can make you feel tired, lethargic, heavy, and miserable. Once the taste of your aunt’s famous cookies leaves your tongue, you are still left with the extra calories, not to mention that awful sugar crash.   

If you feel like you fall into this holiday trap, you might want to steer clear or at least prepare for it. Instead of going out for dinner with friends every night of the week, spend an hour at home or in the gym working out. The more you exercise your body, the better you will feel about going back for seconds or eating that piece of chocolate cake. Monitor your caloric intake (there are some useful apps available), be aware of how much you’re eating, and set a daily limit so you know that you are keeping your body healthy. Cutting down on snacks and exercising regularly will prevent you from slumping into the holiday food blues, and keep you feeling good all around. You can even gift yourself a fitness tracker or smartwatch to guide and monitor your workouts. There are lots of great devices available, from top-of-the-line models like the Apple Watch Series 4 to the more budget-friendly Fitbit Inspire HR.  

 4. Choose Who You Spend Your Time with Wisely  

The people you spend time with can have a huge impact on your overall mood. If you are around good friends who know you well, you will feel comfortable and more relaxed. If you aren’t as extroverted as others, constantly spending time with people you hardly know or don’t know at all can be very stressful. Just like you should manage how much you fill your calendar this holiday season, you should also be aware of who you are spending your time with. If you feel like you are giving too much of your time to people who stress you out or bring out your anxiety, then have the courage to politely decline. Additionally, if there are one or two members of your family that rub you the wrong way, you can also choose to respectfully avoid spending too much time in their company.  

Anxiety and panic attacks are never easy, and experiencing them during the holidays can be the worst. The best bit of advice is to try and understand your anxiety and what triggers it. Whatever you do, stay close to the ones you love, and enjoy the spirit of the season! 

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