Dealing With the Busyness and Chaos of the Holidays
The holidays don't have to deplete you. Houston therapists at Restoring Hope Counseling share practical strategies for managing seasonal stress, family dynamics, and emotional overwhelm.
The holiday season arrives every year with the same promise: joy, togetherness, and warmth. But for a significant number of people, it delivers something else entirely — overscheduled calendars, complicated family dynamics, financial strain, and the exhausting pressure to feel happier than you actually do. At Restoring Hope Counseling in Houston, we hear this every year: "I know I should be grateful, but I just feel overwhelmed." You're not ungrateful. You're human. And there are real strategies that can help you move through the season with more grace and less depletion.
For some people, this time of year can be the worst or most stressful time.
Some people are traveling out to see their whole families in other cities, and for some people having to encounter their families is not such a JOLLY time.
Maybe it’s the Christmas Shopping, it just stresses you out, all the people, all the money you’re spending, the noise. You can’t wait for that relief when you are done.
It may seem silly to think, “How will I find the time in these next few weeks to hang out with my family, run last-minute errands, and be in the same room with them on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day?” Some people’s stressors come from all the drama that is trying to be avoided. However, one big thing to note is that sometimes those things are just unpredictable. Isolating yourself to feel less anxious or having your family interrogate you will not make it any better it might make you feel worse because of the feeling of missing that once-a-year bonding time with your family.
Here are some helpful tips to help us survive the holidays.
The first important step is to try to set a specific schedule that you will follow for the next couple of weeks. One of the most overwhelming things about the holidays is the rush to get a lot of things done in a short amount of time. Creating a schedule can help you break down any to-do lists you may need to get out of the way by doing them in smaller tasks so they do not blow up all at once.
Secondly, it is important to try to set personal boundaries. What I mean by this is to try to make realistic commitments. Whether that is making sure you can go to that one-holiday party or family gathering and don’t feel bad for having to miss anything if you can’t make it for a specific reason.
This leads to my last and final step, take care of your mental health. Pay attention to your moods and emotions by being self-aware of what is causing these feelings. Understanding any feelings of anxiety or sadness is the key to helping you set those boundaries and know when to take a step back if needed.
All in all, try to enjoy this stressful time by managing holiday stress by recognizing those triggers and creating a set schedule that can make it easier to hang on for the next couple of weeks.
