While the holiday season is the most magical and eventful time of year, it can also be the most stressful time of year. To survive the holidays, you must prepare yourself both mentally and physically for all that’s to come in the next few months.
On top of the typical holiday preparations and events, we also have to consider the social distancing requirements that will likely be in place throughout the 2020 holiday season. Read on to get an idea of everything you’ll need to survive the holidays in 2020!
If you go to any public gatherings or places this holiday season, then you’re more than likely going to be wearing a mask. Show off your holiday spirit by purchasing or making your own festive mask for each holiday. You can make it easy on yourself and just purchase solid-colored masks for each holiday, such as orange for Halloween, yellow or brown for Thanksgiving, red or green for Christmas, and silver or gold for New Year’s.
Or, if you have the means, grab some festive fabric and whip up several masks for each holiday to give yourself some options! Check out this easy tutorial or this slightly more advanced tutorial on how to sew your very own face masks. Keep in mind that you can sew masks together with or without a sewing machine!
It will be much easier to survive the holidays this year if you take frequent hot chocolate breaks! Call up your friends and meet up at your favorite café a couple times a week to take your mind off any stressful situations you’re going through and to keep your soul happy. Or, if you’d rather not go out, invite your friends over for an evening filled with quality movies and bottomless hot chocolate!
If you’re feeling crazy, you can even check out Pinterest for some amazing hot chocolate recipes that you and your friends can all make and enjoy together!
The holiday season is the time of year when some of the best food is served, so do yourself a favor and put your diet on hold; there will be plenty of time to get back into shape after New Year’s. While you’re making some fine handcrafted hot chocolate with your best buds, throw some sweater-shaped cookies in the oven and spend the evening decorating your very own ugly Christmas sweater cookies!
Although it’s not healthy to over indulge all season long, you definitely should loosen up the reins a bit and allow yourself to enjoy some comfort food here and there. How else are you going to survive the holidays!?
The best way to get mentally and emotionally invested in the holidays is by embracing the cool weather and bundling up in the coziest clothes you can find! The holiday season calls for beanies, leggings, hoodies, scarves, gloves, moccasins, and boots, which means you should never not be comfortable and ready to handle whatever holiday-related obstacles come your way.
Holiday decorating, shopping, cooking, and planning can become overwhelming. And if you’re having family stay with you from out of town for the season, then you’re more than likely going to experience some anxiety and fatigue in the coming months.
Holidays even bring up traumatic memories in many individuals, especially those who have lost loved ones and are doing their best to get through the relentless supply of everyone else’s merriment. Add a pandemic to the mix, and a full-blown meltdown might not be too far off!
If you’re feeling more anxious than excited about the 2020 holiday season, then you should definitely plan a daily meditation routine ahead of time. Meditation can be as simple as sitting still with your eyes closed for 5 to 10 minutes before you go to sleep every night, but you can go a step further and check out an excellent follow-along meditation video that is specifically meant to help you survive the holidays!
Get ready to have your patience pushed to its limits this holiday season. If your friends and family are anything like mine, half of your holiday gatherers will be adamant about wearing masks and practicing social distancing, whereas the other half will absolutely refuse. Remember that you’re only going to have all these individuals together for a relatively short period of time, so be as accommodating as possible without losing your cool!
Don’t forget to be patient with yourself, as well. If you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner or baking Christmas cookies for the whole fam and you don’t get anything just right on the first try, keep your head up and try again.
Sometimes holiday spirit comes naturally, but sometimes it doesn’t come at all. Holiday spirit is a natural stress reliever because it encourages you to engage in the festivities and let loose when you might otherwise feel anxious or unwilling to get involved.
If you’re struggling to muster up your holiday spirit this year due to all the world events and personal stressors you’re dealing with, ask your friends or family to decorate the house and watch some holiday movies with you. Do everything in your power to get involved in and enjoy each holiday rather than just slowly struggle through them one by one.
When all else fails—and believe me, at some point it will—have a plan to secure your dismissal from any gathering or situation you’re going to encounter. For instance, if your nosy aunt from across the country is visiting and won’t stop grilling you about why you and your ex broke up, be ready with a polite yet effective excuse that will get you out of there and give you a chance to recoup.
It’s not rude to excuse yourself from an uncomfortable situation. If anyone reprimands you for wanting to be excused, kindly remind them that you’re dealing with some anxiety and the current atmosphere has become overwhelming. Remember, you’re never going to survive the holidays if you force yourself to endure uncomfortable situations and conversations the entire season!
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