Coping with holiday stress is important – especially if you’re an introvert who gets stressed during the holidays! Holiday stress impacts your physical and emotional health. Coping with holiday stress will help you sleep better, feel better, look better, and enjoy the holidays.
Holiday Stress and Introverts
Introverts experience holiday stress differently. Introverts may find making small talk at holiday parties daunting and dealing with Uncle Sam’s demands at Christmas or Thanksgiving draining. For shy people the holiday season may be filled with everything but love, peace, and joy.
This holiday survival guide for introverts helps reduce the negative effects of stress. It focuses on easing introverts’ holiday stress (but even extroverts can benefit from these tips for coping with Christmas tension or Thanksgiving stress). If you’re in an introvert-extrovert marriage or business partnership, you may find this holiday survival guide for introverts useful for both you and your partner.
3 Ways to Cope With Holiday Stress for Introverts
- Pinpoint the exact cause of the stress. Is your holiday stress caused by external or internal factors? External causes could include holiday office parties, shopping, family dinners, or traveling. Internal causes could include high self-expectations, self-induced pressure to entertain, or high standards for decorating your home. Be honest about why you feel stressed. Once you’ve figured out if your holiday stress relates your introverted personality type or other more general reasons, you’re in a better position to cope with holiday stress .
- Brainstorm ways to deal with holiday stress. When you brainstorm, jot down everything you can think of that will ease your Christmas tension or Thanksgiving stress. Be creative and even unrealistic. Accept your introverts’ holiday stress and pretend you can hole up in your house with a stack of great books until the holidays are over. Accepting your introverts’ holiday stress also includes being realistic about how you can survive the holidays intact – and healthy and happy.
- Pick 2 or 3 practical ways to deal with holiday stress. Go to holiday office parties, but only stay for an hour – or even less if your introverted personality style requires it. Take a time out at family dinners; go for a walk or catch an afternoon matinee by yourself. Let go of unrealistic self-expectations, such as being the star of the holiday season or hosting a perfect dinner party. How you cope with your introverts’ holiday stress should be driven by how drained or anxious you feel, so stay in touch with yourself.
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Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen - Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen is a full-time writer and blogger in Vancouver, BC, and the creator of the Quips and Tips blog series.
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