Did you know that 38% of people say their stress increases during the holidays while only 8% of people say they feel happier. Lack of time, lack of money and commercialism are listed as some of the main sources of stress, and maybe not surprisingly, women tend to be disproportionately impacted by holiday stress.
Let’s take back the season and spend our time relaxing, enjoying loved ones and recharging for the new year ahead. Now that we have a baby I am determined to simplify the holidays. Here are some of my top tips for creating the relaxing holiday season we all need!
Tips for Simplifying Your Holidays
- Identify your priorities and focus on the essentials. If family time is what you value most, make sure to plan and schedule that in FIRST. If religious traditions are most important, plan those before anything else.
- Make a list and set a budget. Be intentional about your spending and what your choose to buy.
- Limit gifts. If gifts aren’t a priority for you (see #1), limit gifts to reduce stress. Shifting the focus away from gifts is important to me, so we’ll be following the five gift rule. Check out my post on this concept! You could also choose to do a family gift exchange to limit buying, or opt for homemade gifts.
- Learn to say no. Say no to events you don’t feel excited about, traditions you don’t love or travel that leaves you more stressed than relaxed. For example, if you hate doing Elf on the Shelf, don’t do it! By taking some of these things off your plate, you’ll be left with more time and energy to focus on what is most important to you and your family.
- Simplify decorations. Decorations take so much time to set up and take down, if this is not something that doesn’t *spark joy*, consider cutting back. I like to use wintery decorations that can left up through January so I don’t feel as rushed to get everything put away right after New Years.
How have you simplified your holidays? Let me know in the comments!