GREENSBORO, N.C. — The holiday season can bring feelings of joy and kindness, but it can also usher in stress. You can easily feel pressured to spend more on gifts this time of year, or just as easily feel distressed about attending a holiday work party or social gathering.
It is the topic of The Good Morning Show’s Monday Motivation segment.
Talia H. emailed this question. "My level of stress goes berserk this time of year. Money, my crazy family, the pressure of the holidays, it gets to me every year. How do I stay focused on my needs and not feel pressured by family and friends to buy gifts and show up for events?"
Talia asked a great question. Health and wellness expert Lynch Hunt offered this advice to relieve some of that gift-buying and holiday party pressure.
“I know how it is, having the pressure to prove yourself, spend crazy amounts of money and act happy no matter how you feel,” Hunt said. “It is completely normal to feel overwhelmed, sad, and even depressed trying to navigate all of this. The key to coping with holiday stress is to anticipate your potential stressors.”
Hunt said that over the holidays you should slow down and proceed with caution.
“It's healthy to share in the holiday spirit by giving gifts and donating your time but you need to set realistic expectations for your gifts and holiday activities. Instead of trying to take on everything, I want you to be intentional with your energy and identify the most important holiday tasks and take small steps to accomplish them,” Hunt said.
Another tip is to think about what makes you happy.
“Once you identify what makes you happy, try to maximize those moments,” Hunt shared.
“I personally get a lot of invites to a lot of functions and it gets me tired, but I love decorating the house with my wife, I love baking cookies with my daughters, and I love watching movies with the entire family. That’s what I concentrate on because that is what makes the holidays the most enjoyable for me.”
You can have your health, wellness, or fitness question answered by sending an email to tmccain@wfmy.com. Coach Hunt answers your questions every Monday at 6:45 a.m. on the Good Morning Show.