Top 10 Holiday Survival Skills for Introverts and the Highly Sensitives to use when the holiday pressures become overwhelming.
While holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, can be great times to be reflective, thankful and giving; the holidays can also create a lot of stress, anxiety and overwhelm to our lives.
Unfortunately, when we view our holidays as a source of stress, anxiety and overwhelm, it affects our lives in numerous ways. These downsides include exhaustion from expectations, not feeling as though you can enjoy the holidays, and attempting to isolate or avoid holiday parties and gatherings. Not only does seeing the holidays as a source of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm affect us by taking the joy out of the holiday, but we start to exhibit anticipatory anxiety, irritability, burn out, and perhaps even resentments and bitterness.
Perhaps some of your family gatherings are not always pleasant, or somehow you now have a holiday event almost every day of the week and you can’t see any space for your highly guarded “me time”, or when you are at a party you become overwhelmed by the noises, people, and the gift exchange where you have to open your gift in front of everyone. The mere thought of any of these may send you into your favorite comfy pajamas to watch Netflix and chill until the holidays are over. Unfortunately, all this does is create isolation and we miss out on quality time with loved ones, which only increases our sense of stress and anxiety…even if hibernating does sound good, and somehow bears get away with it every year…maybe in my next life, I can be a bear.
For introverts and for those who are highly sensitive the social expectations, inundation of holiday music, advertisements and shopping in crowded stores, and changes in normal routines can you into to a place of stress and overwhelm. This is completely normal, and frankly, even those are not so introverted or sensitive struggle with some of this too. It’s okay to feel like you need to approach holiday seasons with caution.
There are several things that can help us bring peace on earth during the holidays. When we use the survival skills to get through the holidays it is entirely possible to enjoy and even embrace this holiday season.
Keep reading for the top10 holiday survival skills to make holiday joy happen this season.
What Thanksgiving and Christmas (and other holidays) look like without these survival skills
The biggest downside of not overcoming your problem is exhaustion and missing out on precious moments. At the very least, you find yourself attempting to ignore the fact that the holiday spirit exists. Living this way is extremely “Grinchy” and ultimately it feeds into ongoing feelings of anxiety and shame.
What Thanksgiving and Christmas (and other holidays) look like with these survival skills
Although you struggle with holiday overwhelm you have the potential to stay energized and enjoy this time of the year. When we use this top 10 survival skill guide, there is a possibility for you to feel capable of navigating the potentially overwhelming situations with grace and joy. You have the ability to enjoy the holidays in your unique way and be able to fa-la-la-la-la with the best of them.
Top Ten Holiday Survival Skills To Enjoying The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.
Yes, it is true you may be feeling stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed by the mere thought of having to go through another holiday season, but you can find the same joy that those “normal” people have. The key to having yourself a merry little Christmas and happy holidays is to understand and honor your needs as an introvert or highly sensitive person. Making these changes is not as difficult as you think because it all boils down to knowing what you can control. Take a look at the 10 holiday survival skills to see how you can achieve peace and joy in the stressful holiday season.
Check out these 10 holiday survival skills to see how you can achieve joy and peace during the holidays!
Take “social breaks”
Often we can feel that if we are in a social situation we have to stay engaged with others, but it is perfectly okay to step outside, get some fresh air, clear your mind and recharge
Plan how to deal with difficult family members
If you do have people in your life that are difficult, for a variety of reasons (holidays tend to stir up family issues) go in with a plan. Knowing that you cannot change others, it is more productive to have some “canned” ways of responding. Since these people are typically predictable you can limit your time talking with them, and know to respond in a way that protects you.
Schedule “Recharge Days”
Take at least one day off after the holidays to recharge before getting back into your normal routine. Also, if you know you have several activities to do, build down days into your schedule so that you give yourself time to recuperate that precious energy. Feeling rested and prepared to re-engage with others and work is worth the extra time it takes.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Socializing is always draining for introverts and those who are highly sensitive. If you are traveling for the holidays be aware of the time changes that create a little extra stress on the mind and body. Pay attention to the body’s signals and rest as much as needed. Try to keep your sleep routine intact; go to bed early, and/or take power naps.
Shop online
If long lines, packed and noisy stores give you mild panic try shopping online. You can also attempt to shop at times that tend to have less traffic. This can provide you with an opportunity to be more reflective about your purchases and compare options without the pressures or distractions that a busy store interferes with.
Manage Expectations
In general, the holidays come with a lot of expectations and pressures. When you are a conscientious type of person there may be a desire to make the holidays a magical and special time. An important thing to try to do is keeping the flexibility in mind to tolerate and accept situations even if our reality does not meet our ideal. After all, if we can connect back to the meaning of the holidays for ourselves those little details that we stress about typically won’t make that big of a difference.
Set Boundaries
Knowing your energy limit is important. Having just the right amount of stimulation is important for anyone, but for those who are highly sensitive being too overwhelmed/overstimulated can lead to behaviors such as shutting down, irritability, anxiety, etc. Under-stimulation leads to boredom which tends to lend itself to creating more stimulation in our lives that can become overstimulating. Know when you need to say no, or when you may need to go. Show up early to a party so that you warm up to the situation and leave earlier if needed.
Ask Questions
If you are in a social setting sustaining conversation can feel pretty daunting. Small talk can feel tortuous as you tend to prefer to listen. So be the one to ask questions to generate conversation in the groups. This can help save emotional energy, you can put yourself in the position of the listener, and it balances out all of the questions that get asked of you.
Plan Ahead
If there is an event that is happening at a new venue, you can always visit in advance. If traveling to visit friends or family ask about schedule and activities so you can know what to expect. Planning ahead helps you to set limits on commitments and let people know about your need for downtime.
Join In
Sometimes our fear of being overwhelmed can be our biggest barrier. If you take good care to manage your overwhelm and take breaks you can absolutely have a great time. Get involved, help out. Contributing can be a great way to add your value to the holiday activity.
Achieving peace and joy during the holidays instead of stress, anxiety and overwhelm can be fun. You absolutely can have an enjoyable holiday season, and Mindful Wellness Counseling can help you manage stress anxiety and emotional overwhelm in this holiday season and in life.
