While we often view December as a time to celebrate the holidays, it also marks one of the busiest and most stressful periods of the year. Whether you’re trying to complete the last batch of work before the break or traveling across the country to visit family, you’ll find there’s a lot to stress about. That’s why it’s essential to focus on activities designed to destress your holidays.
As writers, this can be challenging, especially if you have a goal you’re trying to meet before the end of the year. Here are a few tips to help you plan accordingly as you strive to destress your holidays.
Five Ways To Destress Your Holidays
Rest And Recharge
As writers, we often pride ourselves on the rigors of a strict schedule. Our schedules revolve around the creative goals we’ve set for ourselves. But life inevitably finds ways to interfere with that discipline. While it’s usually advised to do everything you can to stay the course and maintain that schedule, the holidays are already stressful enough without saddling yourself with unnecessary pressure.
While adhering to a set schedule is certainly a good habit, I think the holiday season should be the exception to any rule or goal you’ve set for yourself. It’s a time when overcommitting can do more harm than good. In my experience, trying to push through and get things done before the end of the year only makes me more irritable and frazzled.
Let the holidays be an excuse for you to step away from your work and take a well-deserved break. Using this time of year to rest and recharge may yield moments of clarity about your work, enabling you to approach it differently when you return.
Pursue Peace
The holidays can heighten tensions as everyone strives to achieve their ideal way to celebrate the season. Whether they’re stressing over plans or racing all over town to find the perfect gift, people seem to be more on edge during this time of year, contributing to a great deal of hostility and conflict instead of sharing in the joy of the season.
While the world around you may be on the verge of conflict, do your best to pursue peace in every situation. Not everything has to be a knock-down, drag-out fight. Be the person who looks for ways to resolve disputes rather than instigating them.
Stay mindful of your own frustration and allow yourself time and space to deal with it appropriately and look for ways to compromise as you seek to maintain the right mindset and a positive outlook for your holidays.
Prioritize Giving
Who doesn’t love waking up on Christmas morning to see all the presents under the tree? There’s something magical about unwrapping a gift someone went out of their way to find and purchase for you. But sometimes, we become so focused on receiving from others that we miss out on the joy of giving.
There’s an unmatched warmth that comes from setting aside your own wants to meet others’ needs. When you prioritize giving, you experience the gift of seeing how your life touches someone else who may not be able to give you anything in return. The most meaningful gift is the one given freely and without expectation.
Make a point to actively seek opportunities to be kind and generous with your time, talents, and treasures this holiday season. Your giving may impact someone in a way that transcends the season, leaving a mark that cannot be erased.
Embrace The Reason
The holidays are a time for all to enjoy. It’s a time when many of us turn to the traditions and beliefs we grew up with. And while people may have many reasons to indulge in all the trappings of the season, there is a definitive reason that always manages to outshine them all.
The warmth, joy, wonder, majesty, and peace of the season aren’t found in gifts, trees, or anything you can buy. They’re only found when you look beyond those things and seek to know the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place. It’s called ‘Christmas’ for a reason.
Seek to discover that reason for yourself by taking time to reflect on what Christmas really means to you. Getting to know the Christ in Christmas will not only change how you look at the holidays but also give you a whole new perspective, allowing you to experience the magic of the season like never before.
Celebrate The New
The holidays also mark the end of another year, allowing us to reflect on all that we’ve learned and experienced. Taking time to reflect on all that you’ve faced and overcome can help you gain a new outlook on everything that still lies ahead, with excitement and anticipation.
Look at all you accomplished despite your losses and setbacks, and be grateful for all the blessings and breakthroughs. Celebrate every experience through the lens of progress. You may not be exactly where you planned to be at the beginning of the year, but chances are you aren’t where you were when you started.
Take inventory of every lesson learned, then use those lessons to map your journey forward. The holidays mark the end of one season and the beginning of another. Honor the past, but be quick to turn the page as you celebrate the prospect of a new year.
Summing it up
Knowing how to destress during the holidays begins with understanding the importance of taking a break from your normal routine. Maintain a positive outlook as you use that time to reflect and renew your state of mind, so you can be more creatively effective in the new year.
As I look back on 2025, I’m grateful for the opportunity to write these monthly blogs to enrich and empower you creatively. If you’ve found these articles helpful in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment below. As always, keep striving toward your goals while taking time to enjoy the process. And above all, keep writing!
Until next time,
