The festive season can certainly be fun; friends, feasting, and fabulous sparkly dresses. But alongside those party-centric pockets, the holidays can also come with a barrel load of stress which in turn leads to seasonal burnout. There’s something about being around family, having to scour for gift ideas, and eating and drinking around the clock that leads to system overload. To help you survive the risk of seasonal burnout, we have some tips that won’t crush your spirit…

Stay in Budget

Money can be one of the biggest stressors come Christmas and it’s common for people to absolutely blow their budgets trying to accommodate the hype. If this sounds familiar, then this year its time to take a deep breath and make a plan to stay in budget. Whether it's setting a spending cap on gifts within the family, getting crafty or buying used – not only will you be helping your own finances but its also good for the planet too.

Forgo Commitments

All those family commitments can be stressful especially if relationships are a little stretched thin. We want to remind you that even though its Christmas, you should always put your mental health first. If you are feeling emotionally on the edge and another family get together threatens to topple you, then give yourself permission to steer clear and only take what you can handle.

Get Prepped

Rather than leaving all your gift shopping, cooking, baking, decorating and organizing to the last minute, this is the season for getting as prepped as possible. The chore list around Christmas can be huge and this is where those to-do lists, calendars, and delegation skills are going to come in extremely handy. If shopping online - do it early so there’s lots of time for posting, and if feeling overwhelmed, use a mindful app or take a few minutes meditation to get you back on the breathing easy track.

Consider Your Body

A body blow out is all part of Christmas but it can leave you dehydrated, bloated, sleep-deprived and constantly battling a hangover. While we aren’t going to spoil the fun by saying you should steer clear of all the tastiness that makes Christmas, we urge you not to forget your body altogether. Making small tweaks like sipping water and herbal tea throughout the day, snacking on trail mix and fruits instead of all that cheese and chocolate around the clock, and ensuring you get a decent level of shut-eye.

Manage Expectations

All those holiday movies, commercials, and photo shoots have us thinking that Christmas is some magical picture-perfect time which can be hugely triggering for our inner perfectionist. This year, practice managing your expectations by cutting yourself some slack. If the turkey is a little dry, if the house is a mess, if you need to take five minutes for a lie-down, or if your partner clearly hates their present, then do all you can to not let that dust settle on you. Remember, we tend to hold on to good memories when it comes to seasonal bliss, so odds are you and everyone else won’t remember the mini disasters next year.

Opt for Shortcuts

Woven into that narrative about managing expectations is also the permission to take shortcuts when it comes to Christmas prep. Buy frozen appetizers, order in food, get the store to do your gift wrapping, whatever it takes – get as much help as you can and always opt for the path of the least resistance. Remember, all that really matters is you feel loved, held, and you have a good time where you can.

What are your thoughts about avoiding seasonal stressors? Share tips in the comments and let’s get through this together.