Already Stressed About Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is usually considered the start of the holiday season. While it can be great to spend time surrounded by family and friends, preparing for guests can be demanding, and with Black Friday marking the beginning of the holiday shopping season, it can also mean the beginning of a more stressful few months.

According to a poll by the American Psychological Association, nearly a quarter of Americans reported feeling “extreme stress” during holiday time, while 69% of respondents reported feeling stressed during the holiday season because of a “lack of time.” With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s important to start understanding how to get relief from stress symptoms so you can enjoy all the cheerful perks of the season!

When stress is at its peak, it can be even more difficult to take a much needed step back and regroup. As a result of this, the best way to manage stress during the holidays is prevention, so knowing the early warning signs is essential. Here are a few tips to manage your stress during the holiday season:

Listen to your body

If you are exhausted from running errands or cooking all day, allowing yourself to take breaks could help relieve stress buildup in the future. This also applies to your emotions. If you feel sad or overwhelmed, it's ok to cry and take time to express your feelings. Forcing yourself to be happy just because it's the holiday season won’t make anyone happy.

Be realistic

We often put unrealistic expectations on ourselves to host the perfect Thanksgiving or have the best holiday party, when in reality, everyone is just happy to be celebrating together. You will find yourself enjoying these festivities much more if you set realistic expectations for yourself.

Get organized

The root of most people's stress during the holidays is feeling like they don't have enough time to complete all the tasks they need to. If you start planning your time now and get some of those requirements out of the way, it may prevent some last-minute scrambling down the line.

Try stress relief products

Despite your best efforts of prevention, you may still find yourself suffering from stress as the busy holiday season approaches. If you're having trouble getting motivated, difficulty sleeping, constantly feeling overwhelmed, or more, stress management gadgets may be very beneficial for you. Touchpoints can be a natural, noninvasive way of managing your stress symptoms!

Users who suffer from general stress have reported a reduction in symptoms within 30 seconds of using Touchpoints. These anti stress gadgets are wearable devices that work by using BLAST technology to manage stress response by altering the body’s Fight, Flight, or Freeze (F3) response. To learn more about how Touchpoints could assist with stress treatment this holiday season, click here.

Sources:

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2006/12/holiday-stress.pdf

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20047544