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The holidays are typically a time for celebration and joy, but for many people, they are also incredibly stressful. And if your anxiety level rises in December, you’re not alone.
Nearly half, 41% of American adults say their stress increases this time of year, according to the American Psychological Association. “I think it’s comforting that you’re not alone in feeling super stressed,” says one happiness expert. Jessica Weiss.
Weiss has spent more than a decade giving talks and conducting workshops on happiness at work, including a TED talk titled “Happiness: It’s an inside job.” Here are her tips for how to improve your mood this season.
1. Maintain social ties
For Weiss, when you’re feeling stressed, “the most important thing is to maintain social connections,” she says. In particular, try to “have some micro moments of connection”.
These can be with family and friends and should not be too long. “I talk like 10 minutes,” she says. Ideally, it happens in person, but if it has to be by phone or text, that’s fine too. Try to have at least two moments of connection per day.
“Even brief moments of positive interaction will increase happiness and reduce stress,” he says.
2. Keep your routine
Second, whatever the holiday season in terms of a variety of seasonal activities, “maintain your regular routines,” he says.
For Weiss, it’s exercise, but “maybe your regular routine is to read for half an hour in the morning,” she says. “Maybe your regular routine is to do breathing work before starting your day. Maybe your regular routine is relaxing with a warm bath.”
It’s especially important to keep doing whatever you’re doing to destress. That “will make everything feel a lot more normal,” he says.
3. Say “no” when you need to
Finally, it is very easy for the calendars to fill this time of the year, but you do not have to say yes to every invitation. “Say no to anything that drains you,” says Weiss.
“There will be some things that are essential, right?” she says, maybe family gatherings, for example. But, he adds, “the non-essentials are the things you can say no to, and the litmus test is, what’s the worst that can happen if I say no to those?”
If you understand that there will be no major repercussions, this is your opportunity to say no and get that time back.
Ultimately, Weiss believes that “sometimes less celebration means more joy.”
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