‘Tis the season to be jolly. And also a little anxious?! The holidays can be a mixed bag of joy and jitters, with added stress, outsized expectations and limited time.
Research shows that laughter is the best medicine, so our mental elf is here to help you unwrap some humorous tips to keep stress low and spirits high this holiday season.
There may be spiral ham on the menu, but your relatives won’t stop grilling you. Or giving unsolicited advice. Or TMI.
It’s time to formulate some automatic replies so you can autopilot tough conversations. What about the non-committal crowd favorite, “Who’s to say?” or the classic non-answer, “I’ll look into that”. And if all else fails, excuse yourself to the nearest bathroom to collect yourself or hide. No shame in that game.
Maybe it’s an ex. Or someone who looks sort of familiar??… Or anyone from high school.
Did you make eye contact? Did you look away? Did they see you make eye contact AND THEN look away? Even if all the above is true, never underestimate a polite smile and “Hi, how’s it going?” Then move on, pass go and collect your reprieve.
Maybe your relatives believe mayo is a major food group. Or they still don’t understand what celiac disease is. Or they prefer to drink their calories.
Give yourself a pat on the back for eating beforehand. Now you can focus on playing with your food while making sparkling dinner conversation. If all else fails—it’s Fido’s lucky day.
The simple act of making a gift, donation or doing something good for someone else, can spark positivity and feel energizing.
Through Spectrum’s partnership with Good Today—a platform that makes it easy to give to hundreds of charities—just a moment of your time can make a lasting impact. Spectrum will donate on your behalf to support MQ Mental Health Research.
All joking aside, if our mental elf wasn’t enough to bring you laughs and ease holiday stress, here are more helpful resources and tips for practicing “elf-care.”
