5 Tips to Prioritize Well-being and Navigate Holiday Season

The end-of-year hustle and bustle can be particularly stressful, especially as we emerge from a tumultuous election year. While many major holidays have already passed, the upcoming U.S. Thanksgiving and December holidays are upon us. 

While some are excited for time off and connecting with family/friends, it can bring its own set of challenges. From navigating potential disagreements to managing stress, it's important to prioritize our mental and emotional well-being.

Here are five tips to help you navigate the holiday season with grace and ease:

1. Check-in with yourself.

Acknowledge your own feelings first. You might be feeling festive, or not at all. It is ok to not feel ok. Whatever you are feeling, acknowledge it. Consider talking to someone or journaling to express your thoughts and feelings. Also, box breathing can be a way to help regulate your nervous system, which makes it easier to process thoughts/feelings. Even 5-10 minutes in the morning can help. 

These tools can help you to better acknowledge and process how you are feeling. Knowing how you feel will help you manage emotions and reactions when having conversations with others.

2. Cultivate kindness. 

This kindness is two-fold: self-kindness and kindness to others. 

Be kind to yourself. Self-kindness can look different for everyone. End of year stressors can cause us to be off our “a game.” Don’t punish yourself when you make a mistake. When we are stressed, we can miss things. Employ a growth mindset. This will serve you well in preparation for interacting and reacting to others.

Extend kindness to others. You don’t always know what others are navigating. Fear can be debilitating – and people are navigating a range of dynamics from elder parents, caregiving challenges with kids, financial and/or job uncertainty and more. The kindness someone receives reminds them that they matter. And in today’s world, we all could use a gentle reminder that we matter.

3. Practice self-care. 

Consider one or two healthy habits to manage stress at this time of year: 

Move your body! It’s getting dark earlier and that takes adjusting. Consider an extra short walk during the day (even a loop or two around your office), getting off the train a little further from your destination or a walk around the block while working remotely. 

A microburst of self-care can come via short breaks throughout your day. Consider deep breathing, a short meditation or a brisk walk around the office or your block. If you live in a cold climate – step outside for the jolt of cold air. Taking a break to pause and step away from technology can make all the difference in staying refreshed throughout the day. 

Rest and sleep matter, and they are different! Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. There are seven types of rest. While you don’t have to focus on them all at once, consider ways to get mental and physical rest to offset the stressors.

4. Set boundaries. 

Preparing for the potential challenges in conversations can help you go in with a plan. Use respectful communication. When faced with difficult topics, employ phrases like, "I understand you want to share your feelings, but I'd prefer to discuss something else right now," or "I need some time to process this information. Let's revisit it later."

Change your plans if needed, and don’t take it personally if someone does the same. If you are hosting, consider checking in on friends and see if they want to join your celebration. You may just give someone the support they need to set the boundaries and not feel alone this holiday season. 

5. Seek support. 

Reach out to others when you need it. Try connecting with a friend or loved one. Check in with each other. It could be a hard day, or something more. As we each continue to find our way to a new, post-pandemic, post-election, normal we may experience unfamiliar feelings and/or uncertainties. 

You might not feel like yourself. Holiday blues are experienced by many. Grief also has a way of showing up more around the holidays, so be gentle with yourself. Take note of how you are feeling, don’t be hard on yourself if feeling down translates to being less productive. 

Consider turning on music, it doesn’t have to be intense or lively. It can be one rhythm more active than your current mood. We co-regulate with music, so the beat can help move us!

Bonus Tip. Kids/teens (and their caregivers) need extra grace too.

Creating a nonjudgement space for kids/teens goes a long way to supporting their mental health and sense of belonging. In supporting the kids/teens in our life we need to remember, many kids and teens have faced more mental health challenges post pandemic.

Additionally, our LGBTQ+ youth are among our most vulnerable. The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth, “saw a nearly 700% spike in communication,” post-election day. You may not know a loved one’s identity but the kindness, openness and safety you show kids/teens and their parents goes a long way in helping them know they belong, just as they are.

Let’s all take good care of ourselves and each other as we navigate the homestretch of this year, and the start of 2025.  

May you experience a gentle holiday season!