We may be singing “Joy to the World” but many Iowans can find themselves exceptionally stressed out during the holidays. Christie Harris, a wellness education specialist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says to take control of your Christmas calendar and stop putting so much pressure on yourself.
“If we can set out with just remembering what the real meaning of the holidays are about, and not going into this with the ideal that everything has to be perfect,” Harris says, “it really helps to alleviate a lot of the stress and the aggravations that we tend to put on ourselves.”
If you’re trying to do too much in too little time, Harris suggests backing off and not becoming your own worst enemy — or a Grinch — in the process. Even trying to send out Christmas cards can bring stress.
“There are so many things that I think we put pressure on ourselves to do because it’s the tradition, or it’s what we’ve always done, or it’s what other people do, so we feel like that’s what we need to do as well,” Harris says. “Christmas cards are a great example. If Christmas isn’t a great time and you really feel like you need to do cards, maybe you do them at the beginning of the year and say, ‘Hey, happy New Year.'”
Harris recommends you talk with family members ahead of time, plan out your trips, and don’t try to tackle too much.
“Let folks know what your expectations are, what your plans are, and then one of the things that we can do is not allow guilt to play a part, because oftentimes we might feel guilty if we have multiple families that we need to go see,” Harris says. “Lots of people want to share their time with us during the holidays, and we need to remember, first and foremost, you need to do what’s best for you and what’s best for your family.”
Harris says the important message is to be kind to yourself during the holidays, do what you can, and let go of expectations. Emplify Health by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.
