Healthy, Happy Holidays
The holidays can be a time of joy, celebration, and connection. However, they can also bring stress, overscheduling, and budget concerns. Engaging healthy habits and available resources can help us to navigate this time of year to have healthy and happy holidays.
- Set realistic expectations: Things do not have to be perfect to be memorable and fun. Prioritize what is most important, such as spending time together, and do your best to go with the flow from there.
- Infuse joy into the season: Remember that this can be a joyful time of year. Practices such as gratitude, service for others, and creativity can help you feel a sense of joy throughout the season.
- Create and stick to a budget: A major source of stress during the holiday season is money. To alleviate this stress, plan a budget and stick to it. Tips to reduce spending include splitting meal costs with others, drawing names for gifts, and gifting time together instead of material items.
- Stick to your healthy habits: Maintaining healthy habits during the holiday season is one of your best defenses against stress. This means getting enough sleep, eating well, and staying physically active.
- Navigate complicated relationships with care: Strained relationships can add stress to holiday festivities. Set boundaries, such as not talking about certain topics, not participating in certain activities, or not attending the event altogether.
- Seek support: Let a trusted friend or family member know you are struggling or reach out to a therapist or counselor for help with navigating complicated situations. Remember, you are not alone.
As we embrace the holiday season, let’s remember to prioritize our well-being and happiness. By setting realistic expectations, infusing joy into our activities, sticking to a budget, maintaining healthy habits, navigating relationships with care, and seeking support when needed, we can create a festive period that is both enjoyable and fulfilling. Here’s to a healthy, happy holiday season for all!
https://denverymca.org/blog/8-tips-being-happy-through-holidays
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/11/healthy-holiday-foods-fun
