It probably is not practical to think that you can get completely through a holiday season with no stress whatsoever, because life’s little uncertainties are bound to produce at least some anxiety around that time. In Pontotoc and elsewhere, stress is just part of the background noise that occurs whenever groups of people get together, even if they all love each other. Senior home care professionals understand this and do their best to reduce stress levels for their charges so that the majority of the season can be enjoyed, as it should be. Here are some tips on how a great deal of that holiday stress can be held in abeyance.
Respite care
If you’re responsible for taking care of a senior loved one, it can get to be a full-time job, especially if they are unable to manage some of their own necessary daily functions. All that care and help can accumulate to the point where it gets to be very frustrating, for instance when your loved one continually requires even more from you. One good way to counteract the effect of constant caring is to enlist the aid of some other relative in the area, or a professional healthcare service, to take some of the load off your shoulders. Respite care can step in to provide temporary relief from your daily caregiving, so you can unwind and have some time to yourself. This can be very therapeutic and can keep you from going over the edge.
Vaccinations
Another thing you can do to reduce the stress of being in crowds of people would be to ensure that you have the appropriate vaccinations, both for the flu season and for COVID-19. You’ll have much more peace of mind about socializing with larger crowds, especially since there are bound to be some individuals whose vaccination status you’ll be unsure of. It may not quite be a badge of immunity, but you should be much more confident about avoiding these dread diseases if you at least do what you have control over, and that’s getting your own vaccinations.
Overlook differences
You might as well accept it – your friends and relatives are simply not perfect people, and they’re all going to have some irritating flaws that bother you. Try your best to set aside your differences through the holiday season, and if there’s something you really want to say to a friend or relative, bring it up after the holiday season. If you notice others in your crowd getting upset about things that don’t work out well, be understanding and supportive because most likely they are also feeling the effects of holiday stress and anxiety.
Plan ahead
It’s a good idea to designate certain days for many of the holiday activities of the season. For instance, you should plan for cookie-baking days, Christmas shopping days, menu planning, and for get-togethers with friends and family. When you have specific days earmarked for each of these activities, they will probably come off much more smoothly, and with far fewer disruptions.
Be flexible
Understand that the holiday season is not going to be perfect, and is never going to live up to your expectations of the perfect holiday season. Your family and friends will be constantly changing and growing, and it’s very likely that traditions will be changing every year as well. It’s okay to hold onto a few of these traditions, but be open to the possibility of incorporating new ones into your holiday season. Your holiday plans may look much different this year than in previous years, but you can still always find ways to celebrate the season with loved ones.
Don’t abandon good health habits
When you overindulge around the holiday season, you’ll inevitably end up feeling guilty and probably stressed about it. That means you should do your best to avoid having the holiday season become a free-for-all, even if there are goodies popping up everywhere from people you know. One good way to avoid overindulgence is to have a healthy snack prior to holiday meals, so you aren’t tempted to pig out. Another good practice is to make sure you get plenty of sleep around the holidays because the more fatigued you feel, the more you’ll unconsciously seek sustenance to revive you. Make sure to get plenty of physical exercise, and don’t overdo it on alcohol.
It’s OK to say no
When you get into the habit of saying yes to absolutely everything, you’ll be overextending yourself for one thing, and then you’ll end up resenting it and stressing out about it. Your family and friends will understand if you can’t participate in every single event that’s planned, so if you’re feeling a little fatigued, just say no to this or that invitation. If you’re forced to say yes to something like working holiday overtime, you can compensate for that by removing something else from your busy agenda.