![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.furman.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Stetler-headshot.jpg\")
Cinnamon Stetler,\u00a0associate professor and department chair of psychology<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t have any stress, you\u2019re not really\u00a0engaging with life,\u201d she says. \u201cYou should try to keep stress to a minimum, but it will not be something you can eliminate entirely.”<\/p>\n
The key to managing stress is to recognize it and work to minimize it so it doesn\u2019t overwhelm, according to Stetler.<\/p>\n
Here are five ways to cope with holiday stress.<\/p>\n
Have realistic expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n Expecting the holidays to change people and familial relationships is unrealistic, Stetler says. Unless something has resulted in behavioral modifications or changed perspectives, the holidays aren\u2019t likely to be any different\u00a0than the rest of the year.<\/p>\n Realizing that everything won\u2019t go exactly how you\u2019d like is the first step, she says. Picturing what that event would look like if it went well and thinking about one or two things you can do to facilitate it can help. But you can\u2019t control other people\u2019s behavior, Stetler says:<\/p>\n \u201cIf your stress stems from other people\u2019s actions, that\u2019s largely out of your control \u2014 What you can do is limit your exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n How traditions can weigh on us<\/strong><\/p>\n Families change and grow. That can make maintaining holiday traditions difficult. \u201cReflect on why that tradition is so important to you and what about it carries the meaning. See if there\u2019s a way to adapt the tradition while still maintaining the important pieces of it,\u201d Stetler says. \u201cWhile it is good to maintain traditions, they can cause extra stress if you feel you have to do it the same way no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n A different view of gifts<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to get caught up in the season’s commercialization. But buying a lot of gifts \u2013 especially those you cannot afford \u2013 will not bring happiness, especially when the credit card bills come due in January. It takes a concerted effort \u2013 and a plan \u2013 not to fall prey. Stetler recommends being more intentional in gift giving. Perhaps instead of buying a person several gifts, find one or two that will be meaningful to the recipient and make you feel like it was worth the money spent. Stetler also points out that research shows that while material things can bring short-lived happiness, more enduring happiness can come from doing things for others and taking the time to appreciate what we have.<\/p>\n The lasting memory<\/strong><\/p>\n The holidays don\u2019t have to be perfect. Stetler says what matters is the thought and effort put into preparing the meal or buying that present, not what it looks like\u00a0in the end.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you will remember in six months or a year is probably not going to be that amazing dish or that amazing sweater you found,\u201d Stetler says.\u00a0\u201cIt will be that relationship and the effort you made.\u201d<\/p>\n Self-care matters<\/strong><\/p>\n Be realistic. Don\u2019t try to\u00a0do more than is reasonable. Get plenty of sleep, watch your diet and exercise regularly. Find some time for yourself each day.<\/p>\n \u201cTry to maintain as much of your normal routine as you can. You can treat yourself and indulge in small ways. The holidays are not the time to make big changes,\u201d Stetler says. \u201cTry to get a little bit of physical activity in, even if it\u2019s a 10-minute walk around the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cIt\u2019s the most wonderful time of the year.\u201d Or is it? Yes, the holiday season can be magical \u2014 with all of its dazzling displays of lights, parades, festive parties […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":273,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,48,76,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-department-page","category-psychology","category-top-four-news-3rd-story","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/273"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8497\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}