Dec '25 (edited) • Resources & Recommendations
14 Tips to Help Overcome Holiday Stress
The holidays are often marketed as joyful, magical, and picture-perfect. For many people, the reality is far more complicated. Heightened emotions, family dynamics, financial pressure, packed calendars, grief, loneliness, and exhaustion can all collide at once.
If this season feels heavy, confusing, or emotionally mixed, you’re not broken. You’re human. It’s possible to feel gratitude and grief, excitement and dread, joy and resentment all at the same time.
While we can’t control everything the holidays bring, we can make intentional choices that reduce stress, protect our energy, and help us stay grounded. These strategies aren’t about creating a perfect holiday. They’re about helping you move through this season in a way that feels more manageable, more honest, and more aligned with what actually matters to you.
Practical, realistic ways to protect your peace during the holiday season
1. Clearly picture the holiday you want to have
Set expectations for yourself and others by painting a picture of what you want your festive period to look like. Whatever that picture is, keep it front and center. Share it with your loved ones so they understand where you’re coming from. Invite them to share their picture too, so you can decide together what to honor.
If something threatens to crowd out what truly matters to you, give yourself permission to say no. Let your calendar and to-do list reflect the holiday you actually want to experience, not the one you feel pressured into.
2. Set boundaries
Over the holidays, you get to decide where you go, how long you stay, who you invite into your home, and how much money you’ll spend. It can feel like parents, in-laws, or extended family are calling the shots. They’re not. You choose.
Set boundaries before you’re knee-deep in festivities. Decide ahead of time what you’re willing to engage in and what you’re not. How long will you stay? How far will you travel? What topics are off limits?
Once you make a decision and commit to it, try to show up with as much openness as you can. Boundaries aren’t about control. They’re about preserving your energy so you can be present where you choose to be.
3. Anticipate and manage family conflict
Even the healthiest families can be stressful. Before you pack your bags, think about the patterns that tend to show up. If certain conversations reliably spiral, don’t be surprised when they surface again.
You may not be able to change other people, but you can decide how you respond. That might mean redirecting, stepping away, or clearly stating what you won’t engage with. Decide in advance what your limits are and how you’ll protect them.
4. Focus on what you can control
There are only two things you can truly control: your thoughts and your actions. You can’t control what relatives say, how others behave, or how smoothly things go.
Letting go of what isn’t yours to manage reduces stress immediately. You don’t have to carry other people’s reactions, emotions, or expectations.
5. Know your role in the situation
Sometimes stress comes from taking on roles no one asked us to carry. If you’re visiting someone else’s home, remember that you’re stepping into their space and traditions. Your role may simply be to support your partner or show up respectfully, even if it’s uncomfortable.
If you’re hosting, remember that your guests may be missing their own traditions or loved ones. Ask what matters to them. Small acts of consideration go a long way in easing tension on both sides.
6. Say no
The holidays are full of invitations, obligations, and expectations. It’s not realistic or healthy to say yes to everything.
Be honest with yourself about what you can handle. Choose one or two things that matter most and let the rest go. The goal isn’t to do everything. It’s to protect your energy so the things you do choose actually feel meaningful.
7. Limit your time on social media
If you take one thing from this list, let it be this: when you’re stressed, stay off social media. Curated feeds fuel comparison, and comparison drains joy.
Social media rarely shows the full picture. It doesn’t capture the arguments, exhaustion, or financial strain behind the photos. Choose real connection over scrolling. Your devices have an off button. Use it.
8. Make a budget and stick to it
A budget is simply a boundary for your money. It gives you a plan and removes a layer of uncertainty.
Decide in advance how much you’re willing to spend and commit to it. This reduces stress and prevents impulsive decisions driven by guilt or comparison.
9. Don’t overdo it on sugar, caffeine, and alcohol
A little indulgence is part of the season, but excess can amplify anxiety. Too much sugar and disrupted sleep affect mood, hormones, and emotional regulation.
Do your best to nourish your body with regular meals, hydration, and balance. Small choices add up.
10. Prioritize sleep
Sleep is one of the most powerful tools for managing stress and anxiety. When sleep is compromised, emotional regulation suffers.
Protect your sleep as much as possible, even if it means skipping late nights or scaling back plans. Rest is not a luxury. It’s foundational.
11. Keep moving
Movement helps your body process stress hormones. It doesn’t have to be intense or structured. Walks, stretching, fresh air, playful movement all count.
Anything is better than nothing.
12. Protect your downtime
This is a season of giving, but giving endlessly leads to burnout. Make space for quiet, rest, and routines that ground you.
Stick to the habits that help you feel like yourself, even when your environment changes. Familiar routines create stability when everything else feels loud.
13. Ask good questions
If you’re spending time with people you don’t see often, curiosity can ease awkwardness and deepen connection. Ask thoughtful, light, or playful questions. Be genuinely interested rather than judgmental.
Connection grows when we slow down and listen.
14. Make connection your priority
At its core, the holiday season is about people. Not perfection. Not productivity.
Connection doesn’t happen automatically. It requires intention. Try not to get so caught up in logistics and expectations that you miss the moments that matter most.
A final note: You don’t need to do all 14 of these things. Even one small shift can make a difference. Take what resonates, leave the rest, and trust that showing up imperfectly is more than enough this season.
2
1 comment
14 Tips to Help Overcome Holiday Stress
skool.com/thrivespaceplus
Where purpose-driven professionals connect, reflect, and grow through real conversations.
Leaderboard (30-day)
1
+1
Powered by