How to Cope With Holiday Stress: Updated Strategies for 2025

Originally published in 2017; updated for the current season.

The holiday season often brings warmth, celebration, and connection. But for many people, holiday stress, expectations, grief, and emotional fatigue can make this time of year feel especially overwhelming. If this year feels heavier or more complicated, you’re not alone.

Between family dynamics, financial pressure, disrupted routines, and the emotional weight of recent years, holiday anxiety has become increasingly common. The good news is that with intention and self-awareness, you can navigate the season in a way that supports your mental and emotional well-being.

Below are updated, strategies to help you cope with holiday stress and create a more grounded, meaningful experience.

1. Prioritize Yourself During the Holidays

The demands of the season can make self-care feel optional, but it’s actually one of the most effective ways to reduce holiday stress.

Consider giving yourself:

• Quiet time to decompress
• Restorative activities like meditation, yoga, or journaling
• Space to say “no” without guilt
• More time with people who help you feel regulated and supported

Taking care of yourself helps you stay emotionally balanced as you move through the holiday season.

2. Keep Holiday Traditions That Truly Matter

Traditions can be grounding, but they should also be meaningful. This year, it’s okay to redefine what the holidays look like for you.

Ask yourself:

• Which traditions bring me joy or comfort?
• Which ones create pressure or stress?
• Are there new traditions I want to start?
  

Creating a holiday experience that reflects your values—not external expectations—is an important part of managing seasonal stress.

3. Take the Season One Step at a Time

From gift shopping to coordinating gatherings, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything on your plate. To decrease stress:

• Break tasks into small, manageable steps
• Set realistic expectations
• Identify what is essential versus optional
• Give yourself permission to do less

This “one step at a time” approach makes the holiday season feel more manageable and less overwhelming.

4. Allow Imperfection

Cultural narratives often push the idea of a perfect holiday, but perfectionism is one of the biggest contributors to holiday anxiety.

It’s okay if:

• Plans shift
• Emotions fluctuate
• Not everything gets done
• The holiday looks different than you expected

Meaningful holidays don’t require perfection.

5. Maintain Healthy Boundaries

Family interactions, social pressures, and end-of-year commitments can stretch emotional capacity. Setting boundaries can significantly reduce holiday stress.

Healthy boundaries might include:

• Limiting time with emotionally draining individuals
• Saying “no” to additional obligations
• Protecting rest time
• Prioritizing your emotional needs

Honoring your boundaries allows you to stay present and grounded.

6. Be Courageous With Enjoyment

During difficult years, many people struggle with allowing themselves joy. But joy is a natural emotional resource and can help reset your system.

Give yourself permission to:

• Laugh
• Celebrate
• Engage in traditions you enjoy
• Create positive memories
• Take mental breaks from stress

Even small moments of enjoyment can create momentum toward a more positive outlook.

7. Take the Holidays One Piece at a Time

The season can come with a long list of tasks, but breaking things into steps can help keep stress from building.

Try:

• Identifying one priority at a time
• Completing tasks in small segments
• Allowing yourself to adjust expectations when needed

This approach brings clarity and reduces feelings of overwhelm.

8. Remember That Emotions Are Normal

You may end the season with mixed emotions—joy, sadness, gratitude, disappointment, or fatigue. These emotional “leftovers” are a normal part of navigating the holidays.

Let yourself:

• Feel your emotions without judgment
• Take breaks when needed
• Reflect on what felt good and what didn’t
• Adjust for next year

Your emotional experience is valid, whatever it looks like this season.

9. Choose How You Celebrate, No Matter What This Year Holds

You can take part in the holidays in whatever way fits your emotional capacity—whether that means celebrating in a big way, scaling back, or doing something completely new.

Even if circumstances aren’t ideal, one intentional moment—an hour of rest, a grounding ritual, or a small tradition—can offer a meaningful shift.

A Season of Reflection and Renewal

The holiday season can serve as a space to reflect on the year behind you and prepare for new experiences and growth. While stress is often part of the season, it also offers opportunities to deepen your relationship with yourself, strengthen healthy connections, and practice coping skills that can carry into the new year.

All of us at Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW, LPC-S & Associates wish you a meaningful holiday season and a healthy new year.