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Tuesday 21 December 2021

Tips For A Stress Free Christmas / Holiday Season

Talking with friends and family not everyone finds the Christmas/Holiday Season easy, many can and do get stressed. Cooking a delicious meal for guests doesn't always come easy. Then you may have friends and family, relatives that don’t always see eye to eye.


If you can get through the holiday season relatively stress-free, then you’ve done a wonderful job, but if you are someone who is prone to stress easily, don’t worry, here are six tips that could help make your Christmas / Holiday Season that little bit easier.

1. Plan Your Menu In Advance
Just like meal prep, planning your Christmas / Holiday menu well in advance takes a massive weight off your shoulders. 

2. Prepare Food Ahead Of Time
Where you can, start preparing your delicious dishes ahead of time. It will make your day go smoothly when you’re not whipping up a last-minute cranberry sauce at the 11th hour. That way when the guests arrive you can just whip out your food and enjoy it with everyone.

3. Allow Yourself Time To Rest
Rest is the antidote to stress. It often feels like when there’s a lot on your plate, rest is the last thing that will help you get the job done. But the opposite is actually true. Taking time to rest, focus, get a good night’s sleep, and time for yourself is important.

4. Practice Conscious Breathwork
This can come in the form of meditation, or something as simple as taking a relaxing, mindful breath in times of pressure. If you burn your turkey/main dish, (or like me one year drop it on the floor) then take a deep breath and then respond. This simple, mindful practice encourages the body to switch on the rest and digest system, alleviating stress from the body.

5. Agree To Disagree
We all know how family get-togethers can sometimes be awkward. You may have a family member say something that you believe is out of line, other times, you might find yourself disagreeing with their point of view. There is a lot of tension in the world right now, and learning to appreciate those who have a different point of view is a lifelong skill. But to remove the stress from the day, agreeing to disagree is often a good approach.

6. Avoid Foods That Trigger You
This last one should go without saying, but it is worth emphasizing. Physical stressors on the body almost always grow into psychological stressors. The Holiday Season / Christmas can be a time of indulgence, and that’s okay, as long as you know your limits. For example, if you know that gluten makes you cranky and bloated, reach for dishes that are gluten-free. These days, you don’t need to worry about being fussy, everyone has different dietary needs and they are all respected. Getting through your Christmas / Holiday celebrations while being kind on your digestive system is key to a stress-free day.
Adapted from an idea seen here


Dear reader, you will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas within this blog, but please note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

29 comments:

Rose said...

Oh, I am one that stresses so easily...and really no need to. Taking time to breath in slowly and blow out slowly can do wonders. But I forget that.

Tom said...

...Christmas can be stressful!

Christine said...

great tips thanks.

William Kendall said...

It's a holiday that is very rough on my depression. I'll be glad when it's done.

aussie aNNie said...

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. xx

Lorrie said...

Being organized helps me reduce stress.

J.P. Alexander said...

Buenos consejos y si la navidad puede ser mágica y a la vez estresante . te mando un beso

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

Such good tips - always try to stay stress-free but it is sometimes hard. Had to laugh at dropping the main dish, although I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time! I'm hosting this year, so I am going to print this out! Hope you have a wonderful holiday and that the new year is a good one for you and your family. xo K

Hilly Nicolay said...

Good tips.

Keep calm and ask yourself what if something goes wrong... not everything has to be perfect.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
Hilly

Elephant's Child said...

Great tips. Thank you.

Little Wandering Wren said...

Some good Christmas tips here - greetings from down the road. I am only just getting an inkling of what you in the UK have been through as we wait with uncertainty over Christmas plans! But we are keeping calm and carrying on!
Have a lovely Christmas!
Wren x

eileeninmd said...

Great tips. I am keeping calm, refuse to stress out.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Take care, enjoy your day!

Jo said...

Some sensible tips there.

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Holidays can be stressful (and usually are ) so planning ahead and keeping simple tips in mind is helpful. Enjoyed the read. Happy Holidays-

Inger said...

My only stress is that I don't cook enough for myself. I find that I have no idea what to cook. Imagine that, you fabulous cooks. Looking at you blog, I may start here. I will let you know. Regardless, thanks for an excellent and so very informative blog.

Debbie said...

great tips for less stress!! i start early and do a lot of planning and that does seem to work!! having christmas dinner at my nieces house helps a lot too!!

linda said...

Lots of good advice there. 🙂

José Antonio Sánchez Rumí said...

My best wishes for happiness for this holiday season.
Merry Christmas.
Best regards.

happyone said...

Christmas isn't stressful here. We have a simple happy Christmas. :)

CJ Kennedy said...

Christmas will just be the 4 of us again this year. No stress.

DUTA said...

Perfect advice: planning and preparing in advance, avoiding tension, breathing work, rest.

Ananka said...

Good tips. Thankfully we managed to book going out on Xmas Day today. Sadly there have been a lot of people cancelling so we managed to get a table easy.

Mary Kirkland said...

I hope you have a nice Christmas.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Good advice! Just me and my partner for Christmas this year (which is how we usually do it).

Jeanie said...

All good ones and fortunately, all ones I already practice!

Merriest to you both!

Snowbird said...

Some great advice here!xxx

Conniecrafter said...

great advice it will be very low key here this year so things will be much less stress

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful suggestions for avoiding holiday stressors ~ Xo

Merry Christmas to you,

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Magic Love Crow said...

Excellent tips Jan! Thank you! The other day when I was at work, I had a piece of chocolate and my body got hot and I felt yucky! Amazing, when your body doesn't agree to something, it tells you! Big Hugs!