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Why do we get so stressed during the holidays? More than any other time of the year, the holidays bring on a lot demands on our time and energy — parties, shopping, baking, cleaning, entertaining and spending time with people you may only see once a year.
When stress is already at its peak, it's hard to stop and regroup. This season, try to prevent stress and depression in the first place, especially if the holidays have taken an emotional toll on you in the past .
The American Heart Association suggests these basic tips for beating holiday stress:
Make a list and a budget and stick to it. Overspending on each person is the easiest way to break your budget. Sticking to your list and budgeting for each person will help prevent you from impulse buys.
Is it your turn in the family holiday hosting rotation? That’s a big responsibility, but you don’t need to do everything. Why not make it a potluck so that everyone can contribute? Planning ahead to help take some of the stress out of hosting.
Are you hosting this year? Try not to be a perfectionist ! Tell us how you’re going to plan it out!
Originally published December 2, 2015; Revised 2017, 2020
This was great! Thank you for sending this out! I typically get really depressed since it's the month that my mother died. I am trying to do things differently this year. Thank you BCBBS!