Manage Holiday Stress: Dealing With COVID

The holidays, while joyous, can also be a source of stress for many people. Add on the global pandemic that is COVID, and things can become even more stressful.

While the weight of this virus can seem unbearable, there are ways you can navigate holiday stress alongside COVID that can ensure you still have an enjoyable and memorable time.  

1- Be As Safe As Possible

A major part of the stress of COVID during the holidays is how to engage in celebration in the safest way possible. While there is no surefire way to 100% protect yourself from the virus, you can take precautionary measures to make yourself feel as comfortable and as safe as possible.  

Whether it’s wearing masks, social distancing, frequent handwashing, or getting vaccinated - whatever series of measures promotes safety and wellness for you can be established as practiced, as well as encouraged amongst those you gather with so that you can feel as safe as possible.  

2- Set Realistic Expectations

It is important to understand upfront that COVID has impacted the way the holidays are and will continue to have lasting impacts. Embracing this reality and accepting the specific changes that you may encounter in your own celebrations due to COVID can help you to avoid disappointment and move forward with the new reality of life during this pandemic.  

3- Create New Traditions

A part of having realistic expectations is being comfortable establishing a new way of doing things. While letting go of the way things were can be hard, the best way to move forward and reduce stress is to create new meaningful traditions with the people you love. As you create new traditions, you set the stage for new memories, and you are better able to move forward during such a difficult time.  

4- Have A Plan/Routine

Routines and plans can be a great way to establish calm and predictability during the holidays. These tools can be especially beneficial with the presence of COVID which has uprooted many of the norms and predictability of life. As you implement a plan and put a routine in place, you can reduce anxiety and better enjoy the holiday season.  

5- Self-Care

It is of vital importance to prioritize those things that are going to promote your overall wellness and health. Whether taking a walk, journaling, engaging in meditation, or taking a nap - spending some intentional time doing things that bring you peace and joy can help you to overcome stress related to the holidays and COVID.  

6- Focus on the Good

Your perspective is so important when it comes to managing stress. When you choose to focus on the positives such as what you are grateful for or what you have gained, rather than what COVID may have caused you to lose or how it negatively impacted the holiday season, it is easier for you to find joy. The more intentional you are about remaining positive, the better the holiday experience you will be able to have.  

Final Thoughts

There is no denying that COVID has dramatically changed our way of life, and the holidays are a time of year these changes can easily be felt. In order to deal with the stress of holidays, especially during COVID, you must be intentional.  

Measures such as having a positive perspective, caring for yourself, having a plan, being realistic, being safe, and creating new traditions can help you to alleviate stress, decrease anxiety, embrace change, and get the most out of the holiday season.