After honoring Veteran's Day yesterday, the full focus moves to Thanksgiving and creating a wonderful big turkey dinner with family and friends. Yet, According to a 2022 American Psychiatric Association poll, nearly one in three Americans expects to be more stressed each holiday season than the prior year.*
While it can be fun to gather with friends and family, it can also add stress when you layer on the things that have to be done like decorating, grocery shopping, organizing the meal and other activities. So, what about considering how great it is to have wonderful people and so many good things in your life?
Try This: 3 Things I’m Grateful for Today
A great way to adjust your mindset is to focus on being grateful, which distracts you from being stressed. Here are a few tools:
- Create a gratitude journal.
- Calm your space by donating or decluttering.
- Get out in nature by hiking, visiting a park, or walking in your neighborhood.
- Meditate or use yoga to quiet your mind.
For me, adding in things like ordering the turkey dinner, getting the Thanksgiving decorations set out, and planning for the disruption of holiday festivities on my usual schedule, the first thing I use is getting outside. Walking every morning and having the sun on my face is my best way to let go of stress. What about you?
* Seven Ways to Cope with Holiday Stress, https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/seven-ways-to-cope-with-holiday-stress