When the holiday season begins to draw near, we often feel as though our stress levels begin to skyrocket. Part of the reason for this is the fact that so many of us are visiting family for the holidays. After all, while going home for the festive season can be a wonderful thing – allowing us to introduce our own young ones to old family traditions, and reconnect with people we haven’t seen for months – it’s also got its negative parts too!
Fortunately, we’ve got some hints and tricks that might help you to make the most out of your winter journey, so long as you’re willing to focus on yourself from time to time during the festive period, as well as putting aside time for the ones you love.
1. Avoid Travel-Based Stress
Depending on where you grew up, the chances are that a journey to the old family home will mean boarding an airplane, or stocking up the car for a pretty lengthy road trip. Either way, make sure that you take all of the necessary steps you can to make the experience as stress free as possible. For instance, if you plan to fly back home, then make sure that you book your flights well in advance, choosing days that are less likely to be popular and over-run by hectic travelers.
If you’re driving, be sure to check the weather well ahead of your chosen destination date, so you can take measures to avoid difficult snow storms and dangerous conditions.
2. Give Yourself a Way to Take a Break
Just because you’re heading home to visit the family doesn’t mean you want to spend every second of every day around a crowd of distant relatives. In fact, one of the best ways to survive visiting family for the holidays is to give yourself an escape route for those moments when you might feel overwhelmed.
If you’re heading outside of the country, bring a worldwide adapter plug with you so you can listen to music on your phone without having to worry too much about wasting your battery, or catch up on some of your favorite shows from your laptop or tablet.
3. Be Patient
Finally, as complicated as visiting the family for the holidays can be, it’s worth remembering that it’s a one-off experience that you’re unlikely to get again for another twelve months. Prepare yourself for the madness, and be ready to slow down and relax when things start to get a little too crazy. Everyone that you’re visiting with is likely to be just as stressed out as you are, which means that you need to take some time to focus on what really matters.
Remind yourself that the experience you’re having now is only temporary, and you don’t have to deal with the family members that annoy you most for months following this. Plus, the nicer you are now, the more likely you are to earn yourself a great gift the next time you visit for the holiday season.
