With winter break fast approaching and many holidays looming it can be a stressful and overwhelming time for anyone. Children are no exception. There are a lot of fun activities and events going on at school and in the community. With packed holiday schedules children may have their bedtimes pushed back, routine disrupted, and may be overstimulated. However, we can set the whole family up for a great holiday season by trying out these several different tips!
Be kind to yourself
Don’t forget to take time for yourself to relax and decompress so stress and anxiety doesn’t build up in your house. You can help show positive examples for how to respond to holiday stress. If you are feeling stress or on edge your children may pick up on it. During the season of giving, it is okay to take a moment for yourself!
Keep a schedule
With time off school your family may be tempted to stay up late or sleep in but switching up sleeping routines too drastically can affect your child’s mood. Aside from special occasions, like New Year’s Eve, try sticking to their normal bedtime routine or at least stay within an hour or so of normal bedtime. This can ensure kids get enough sleep and can help them transition back into school mode after the New Year.
This is the time of year where our schedules can be easily filled of activities, school functions, family events, and more. Over scheduling can disrupt normal routines, cause more stress, and may make the holidays less fun rather than more fun. Children may also have a high expectation on activities they want to complete. One way to make sure no one gets burnt out is to sit down as a family and discuss a number of activities you can complete. It’s okay to not do everything! If your children have realistic expectations up front they will be less likely to h
With this hectic time of year, making time for peace and quiet becomes even more important. This could be right before bedtime or after a rambunctious event. Some quiet time can help ensure your kids don’t get too overstimulated and can provide an opportunity of togetherness. Try watching a movie as a family or reading books while snuggled up.
Resist the sweets
Who doesn’t love grandma’s homemade sugar cookies or a second helping of honey glazed ham?? Holiday events go hand in hand with many holiday treats and meals. However, this change in diet can contribute to unwanted stress, anxiety, and breakdowns is your child’s diet. It is all too easy to fill up on extra sugary holiday snacks or not eat full healthy meals. The high sugar can affect everyone’s mood and cause unneeded mood swings. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have any sweets! Instead, try packing healthy snacks on the go, or offer additional healthy snacks at home like apple slices, cheese and crackers, or air-popped popcorn and limit cookies and candy to after a meal or after a snack.
Get those body’s moving
It is easy to forget about getting some physical activity with the shorter days, colder temps, and holiday events. But this is one of the best ways to alleviate stress! Try to make time for the whole family to just run around and play. Getting your body moving can naturally alleviate stress, help burn off high calorie holiday meals, and ensure that kids have time to just be themselves. Take a stroll around the neighborhood to admire all the holiday decorations or find a holiday themed workout video on Youtube the whole family will enjoy! (We personally like this one - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-FztvrKuyE)
For more tips on how to manage stress during the holiday in yourself and your children check out these websites!
https://www.verywellfamily.com/holiday-stress-and-anxiety-in-children-620516
https://childmind.org/article/how-to-take-the-stress-out-of-the-holidays/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/7-ways-prevent-holiday-stress-children-2017112812809
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20047544
About the Author:
Megan Winkelmann has been a Community Health Educator with the Jefferson County Health Department for just over two years. She attended Truman State University earning a bachelor’s degree in Health Science with a minor in Biology. While working for JCHD she attended A.T. Still University to earn her master’s degree in Public Health. Megan was born and raised in Jefferson County and enjoys creating programs that encourage healthy habits in the place she was raised. Megan likes to spend her free in time in the presence of family and friends.
MCH Publicity Statement: This project is/was funded in part by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Maternal and Child Health Services Contract #AOC18380095, and is/was supported by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant #B04MC30623, Maternal and Child Health Services for $12,107,084, of which $0 is from non-governmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.