Holiday Stress

Balancing professional and personal life can be a challenge at any time of the year, but when the holiday season begins, stress levels can skyrocket. Depending on your faith and culture, the holidays can occur at various times during the calendar and often last for a month or more.

As a nurse, you may already juggle a hectic schedule, working long shifts and weekends, while trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle for yourself and loved ones. There are times when you wonder if you have time to get to the grocery store, let alone bake special cookies or hunt down meaningful gifts.

No matter how much or how little you (and the significant people in your life) do to recognize and celebrate your holiday season, there are still tasks and activities to deal with. 

10 Tips to ease your holiday stress

• Plan ahead. Maybe you’re already a person who anticipates holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. You watch for gifts, clothing, and recipes all year long. If that’s you, skip to the next tip. If you’re like the rest of us, you plan and shop as events pop up on your calendar. But that won’t ease your stress. It’s time to implement change; don’t wait until a month before the festivities. This article from Real Simple magazine suggests a five-month planning period before holiday seasons. BONUS: By planning and shopping ahead, you can save money by taking advantage of sales!
• Rethink your obligations. Traditions can become burdensome. Your mental health may benefit from loosening the grip of “We/you ALWAYS attend/do/decorate/make/bake/host…” Ask yourself: Do I really need to hand-sew costumes for the annual school play? Do I really need to make 12 kinds of cookies? Do I really need to make that family recipe that no one likes, but everyone expects? Do I really need to enter the Best-Gingerbread-House contest for the 10^th consecutive year? Be honest about what’s important and what gives you pleasure. Then dump the rest or pass traditions to someone else.
• Take small measures. While a day at the spa might be the ultimate stress-reliever, it’s probably not an option for most of us. However, there are many other quick ways to find joy and contentment during the holiday season. Turn off devices for half an hour. Listen to your favorite holiday music. Sit quietly with a cup of tea or glass of wine. Light holiday-scented candles. Watch a happy, sentimental movie. Make a couple of your own decorations. Take a walk. Relax in a bubble bath. 
• Prevent burnout. Every nurse is susceptible to burnout and holidays can accelerate the process. Simply put, no one can do it all. It can be difficult to turn down requests for you to work overtime or pick up extra shifts during the holidays. Be realistic about how much you can handle regarding work, getting things done—and still have energy to enjoy the season. Of course, you want to do your part at work and at home. By all means, share the load and the fun. But establish boundaries around your job, holiday preparations, and maintaining your own well-being. 
• Control what you can. Every day of your nursing practice is different—you can’t anticipate or control what happens during your shift. However, you DO control your time and activities away from the job, including making sure you’re using your time wisely to minimize stress. Make choices that support your values and work-home balance. Positive choices can be things such as allocating time to prepare nutritious food; spending time with family and friends; finding humor in situations; and being thankful for all you have—including a satisfying career of helping others.
• Sleep and relaxation. Stress and sleep affect each other. Too much stress can cause poor sleep quality, and too little sleep can lead to more stress. One way to smooth the relationship between the two is to practice your preferred type of relaxation. There are many methods of relaxation, from simple deep breathing to tai-chi and yoga. Even aromatherapy from a few drops of essential oils can be beneficial; check out this list of 10 scents that can help reduce stress. What’s important is committing to getting regular and adequate sleep, in order to be at your best all the time—not just at the holidays.
• Get outdoors. It’s called “ecotherapy,” an evidence-based activity that lowers stress and anxiety. Being out in nature or an open space also helps with mild-to-moderate depression. Just a few 20-minute sessions a week (120 minutes is the “magic number”) lowers cortisol production, reduces the heart rate, creates endorphins, and provides a healthy dose of Vitamin D. Your time outdoors doesn’t have to be spent in vigorous exercise (although it adds an extra boost). Stroll, walk, run, or sit on a bench in a natural setting near you.
• Avoid financial distress. Trying to manage money and stick to a budget can create the biggest sources of stress during the holidays. Often the root cause is pressure caused by ads and commercials encouraging us to buy gifts that are unaffordable. Perhaps we want to please our loved ones with pricey presents. And it’s easy to overlook costs such as additional food, parties, clothing, travel, and charitable donations. If it’s too late for this year’s holiday season, set up your realistic spending plan for next year. Remember that the best gifts aren’t always expensive material things. (Find some ways to reduce financial stress here.)
• Accept imperfections. Holidays can generate unrealistic expectations, even when we know better. Television, advertisements, social media—even those Hallmark movies—are able to trick us into thinking that if we don’t do everything perfectly that we are failures. The result: We put overwhelming stress on ourselves and end up not enjoying a precious holiday with those we love. Stop searching for the perfect gift. Forget about making complicated cookies (Remember that Martha Stewart has a full-time staff to bake and decorate.) Realize that your annoying relatives aren’t going to behave differently this year. Relax and have fun!
• Remember what really matters. No matter your religion, beliefs, or culture, holidays are meant to be celebrated with meaning and remembrance. They offer a time to reflect back on the past year. There may have been births and deaths, unexpected medical diagnoses and joyful cures; or life-changing events.  Think of what you have to be grateful for and thank those who have supported you on your journey to be a nurse. Practicing gratitude has been proven to improve mental health. 

Nursing is one of the most stressful careers

No one has to tell you that being a nurse is demanding. Every shift—sometimes every hour—can bring new situations to analyze and manage. Nursing (as well as other healthcare professions) ranks among the most stressful jobs, including enlisted military personnel, police officers, firefighters, and airline pilots.

What factors define a stressful career? According to Kyle Kensing, content editor for CareerCast,
“These [factors] include physical demands, on-the-job hazards, environmental conditions, [and] the risk of personal injury or injury to another for whom the worker is directly responsible,” 

Stress is not always detrimental. Short-term stress can be energizing and motivating; it can inspire you and your team members to meet a goal and create excellent outcomes. However, many times stress that is unresolved leads to chronic fatigue, anxiety, confusion, poor concentration, and diminishing performance.

Because holidays usually involve an increased set of expectations and obligations, your stress levels can respond accordingly. For example, you’ve always planned, cooked, and hosted the main holiday meal…but that was before you began 12-hour shifts in the Emergency Department. Or maybe your family expects you to continue to knit the intricate sweaters that you love to gift…except now you’re working full-time and earning your Master’s degree.

If just thinking about the upcoming holiday season makes you anxious, it’s time to learn some ways to balance work and home—and still have time for fun.