Easing Holiday Stress

I don’t know about you, but I’m all about easing holiday stress. The holidays are a joyful time of year, but they’re also one of chaos - so many people, so much to prepare, and so little time - and with chaos can come a lot of stress. Oftentimes, just the anticipation of it all can bring its own unique stress. There’s a lot about the holidays that’s not under your control but organizing is something you can control – and organizing is a great method for easing holiday stress. Staying organized can help you prepare for what you know is to come and what surprises come your way. 

Understanding and Easing Holiday Stress

In many ways, the holidays are a mix of consistency and unexpected plans. There is an expectation of following traditions, but there is also guaranteed to be unexpected changes and surprises thrown your way. Staying organized is useful for preparing for all that is to come. With an organized space and a plan for what you know will happen, you’ll remove stress and leave emotional and mental space to regroup when you aren’t ready for something. You’ll also have the tools to quickly pull together a plan and make any transition seamless and stress free. 

Decluttering Common Areas and Creating Calm Spaces

Many holiday traditions include family and friends, which means your house is about to become a shared space. Preparing common areas for extra people is important to ensure you’re ready for the influx and your guests don’t feel crowded and overwhelmed. Cluttered spaces can clutter the mind, and this only gets worse with each additional guest.  

When preparing for the holidays, take a look at your common spaces and think about what can be removed or stored during the holidays to reduce clutter. You might consider swapping out decorations instead of just adding to what is always there. Larger pieces of equipment, such as exercise equipment, might be able to be set aside for a few weeks. Of course, any valuables you want to avoid damaging might be better boxed up while the house is inundated with extra people. If possible, use this space to add extra seating. If you plan on utilizing multiple rooms, spread out movies, board and video games, and other entertainment between the rooms to encourage guests to enjoy more than one area. 

If your goal is easing holiday stress, it can be helpful to designate a calm space in your house. This can be a den, a bedroom, or some other closed off area where anyone, yourself included, can go to relax and decompress. Sometimes we all need a small escape from the chaos, and this can be a place that’s quieter and where people can enjoy each other’s company in peace (or enjoy some shared alone time). This can be especially helpful if you have neurodivergent family and friends who are easily overwhelmed in group settings.

Schedule Downtime

Designate time where everyone is given time to relax and enjoy the time however they wish. Often, right after the meals is a great time to plan this; once everyone has eaten and cleaned up, people can go off to do their own activities and take a break from organized chaos. If your home allows, set up a space where guests can go to relax and spend some time alone or with their spouse. Your own bedroom can provide this space for you and your family - keeping that space off limits to guests gives you an escape during the day so you can have some quiet calm time away from being the host. 

Easing Holiday Stress with Organized To-Do Lists and Calendars

Holiday seasons typically involve more than one event and keeping a calendar can help you remember and plan each specific event, from holiday parties to school recitals. Keep a calendar on your wall with all the different events marked clearly so you have a visual reminder of what’s coming up. For events you’re hosting, make a to-do list of what needs to be done and in what order. This can be as sparse or as detailed as you need depending on your preferences; all it needs to do is keep you on task and remind you of your goals for hosting an event. 

Planning Ahead to Make Clean-Up Simpler

Before you can truly rest and recover from the holidays, there will be the pressure to clean up. This, too, doesn’t have to be a pain. Planning for cleanup, while seeming counterintuitive to enjoying the holiday itself, can free up your mind to enjoy the day without worrying about how you’re going to wrap it up.

Designate storage spaces for holiday items and keep any containers, boxes, and bags in those areas. When you’re done with a holiday item, put it away that day rather than leaving it out. You can always pull it out again if needed! Along with to-do lists for executing an event, keep one for cleaning up as well; make sure everyone knows what their role is in helping deconstruct your holiday and what needs to be done to clean up and reorganize. Having a plan in place before it all occurs will help you feel prepared and free up your mind to enjoy the holiday while it’s happening.

Easing holiday stress can make the holidays much more enjoyable. It is naturally a time of higher chaos and stress, but staying organized can provide a sense of control over the season. Remember, at the end of the day, everyone has the same goal: You all want to enjoy the day together. With that in mind, you can organize and save yourself the stress so you can enjoy the time with your family and friends year after year.