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Stress and anxiety can get to us all year round, but there is something about the holiday season that has the potential to put a whole new kind of stress on us.
There are a lot of expectations from family and friends.
If you are the one hosting the holiday or holiday parties, you might be under a lot of pressure for everything to go perfectly.
How can we deal with stress when we’re hosting the holidays, and enjoy them to the best of our abilities?
Let’s go ahead and start by looking at the root of the issue.
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Why is Hosting the Holidays so stressful?
Hosting the holidays isn’t always stressful, but it sure can be.
Hosting a holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving at your home can be stressful. This is because you are the one in charge of how that particular holiday goes. When you host, you are making room in your home for messes, and things getting broken, but also some really joyful moments and making memories with your loved ones in your home. Hosting stress can be managed using some self-care techniques and setting up some good boundaries.
Some factors are also who you invite.
If you are just hosting a sibling and their immediate family (spouse and kids) it may be much less stressful than if you are hosting them, your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, on both sides.
1. Set boundaries and manage other people’s expectations
The #1 reason people get disappointed is because of unmet expectations.
A lot of the time, I’ve found that this is because those expectations were unvoiced.
Though you can’t always know what everyone’s expectation is, you can set up reasonable expectations for others when it comes to events you’re hosting.
2. Potluck to take some of the pressure off of yourself
One great way to deal with stress while hosting the holidays is to make it a potluck.
Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New years.
Make the main course and let every one that is joining you bring a side or two.
This is also fun because everyone has one entree that they know they like, and there are plenty of new foods to try as well!
And the best part is that it takes the pressure off of you as the host having to make a huge meal.
3. Set a time limit on all events
This plays back into meeting expectations. Make sure there is a clear end time to any event you are hosting for the holidays, and make sure that the end time is respected.
If it’s a New Years’ Eve party you’re hosting, it’s obvious that the end time is midnight.
With other events, it’s not always that obvious.
If you want the party to end at 9 pm, maybe set the ball rolling around 8:45. Starting some end-of-the-night activities can let your guests know it’s almost time to pack up for the night. Make sure all gifts have already been exchanged earlier in the evening, and start packaging up desserts for your guests to take home.
This will help everyone to remember that the night is coming to a close.
Another thing that might help with this is to limit alcohol at any event you host yourself.
When intoxicated, people can forget about boundaries and courtesy, so limiting alcohol might really help.
4. Let out-of-town friends and family stay at a hotel
This may seem harsh, but it’s okay to let friends and family stay in a hotel if it stresses you out to have guests in the house for more than a day or two.
If you are the kind of person who loves hosting and has an extra room then this isn’t something you have to worry about.
But if you feel on edge, cramped, or uncomfortable with family or friends staying in your home and living with you for the holidays, it’s okay to ask them to stay in a hotel.
5. Make sure to set age-appropriate activities
If you have little kids or teenagers at your holiday parties, you might need some extra ways to entertain them.
We all know how kids can be if they get too bored. Having children running through an already busy environment might not only be chaotic but could be dangerous for them.
Setting up a big tick-tack-toe board or other floor games, playing Christmas cartoons, and or Christmas-themed games (with prizes!) are all fun ways to help the kids stay entertained and in one place.
We want everyone to enjoy the holiday, and enjoy being together, so make sure to make the kiddos feel included and thought of too.
6. Do all Holiday Gift shopping early
Make a list of all the gifts you need to purchase and start checking that list off early!
One of the things that helps me the most with holiday stress is to get my shopping done by the first week in December.
That way, I don’t have to worry about it anymore and can enjoy all the fun things the season has to offer.
It’s also fun to have gifts under the tree early!
7. Take a herbal supplement to help with stress
My last tip for making the holiday season less stressful is to take a supplement to help manage stress.
Anxie-T by LifeSeasons is my all-time favorite stress-buster!
According to NIMH.gov about 19% of adult Americans have struggled with anxiety of some kind in the last year.
I had never had anxiety in my life until after having my son, and then for a whole year, I had really bad post-partum anxiety.
My husband has struggled with anxiety his whole life, and some things he has struggled with the most are not sleeping well or at all some nights, and worrying all day when he’s awake.
We both started taking Anxie-T about two years ago, my husband takes it consistently and I take it when I am under a lot of work pressure.
It has helped so much, for both of us.
I know that if I am going to be dealing with a specific event that is going to be high pressure, I have a way to deal with that pressure naturally.
Anxie-T has also totally changed how my husband sleeps.
You can read my husband’s full review of Anxie-T here to see his amazing results!
What’s in Anxie-T?
You should always check out the ingredients on your supplements before trying something new!
For myself, I trust anything LifeSeasons makes.
What I specifically love about Anxie-T is that it has Ashwagandha.
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, which means its main function and purpose is to help the body adapt to stress.
The full ingredient list includes:
- Ashwagandha
- Magnesium
- L-Theanine
- Theobromine
- Kava Kava
- GABA
- Andean Cocoa
All of these are great for reducing anxiety and alleviating the stress we feel on a day-to-day basis.
I hope this article has helped you learn how to deal with stress when you’re hosting the holidays!
Be sure to use my link here to get yourself a small discount on your first bottle of Anxie-T, and make this holiday season the LEAST stressful one yet!
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