3 ways to reduce stress this holiday season

The holidays are usually a time for celebration and fun, but for many people they are also incredibly stressful. And if your anxiety levels rise in December, you’re not alone.

Nearly half, 41% of American adults say they feel more stressed this time of year American Psychological Association. “I think there’s some comfort in knowing you’re not alone in feeling extremely stressed,” says the happiness expert Jessica Weiss.

Weiss has spent more than a decade speaking and conducting workshops on happiness at work, including a TED talk titled “Happiness: It’s an inside job.” Here are her tips for improving your mood this season.

1. Maintain social connections

For Weiss, when you’re stressed, “the most important thing is to maintain social connections,” she says. Specifically, try to “have a few micro-moments of connection.”

They can be with family and friends and don’t have to be too long. “I’m talking about 10 minutes,” she says. Ideally, these are in person, but if they have to be via phone call or text, that’s fine too. Try to have at least two moments of connection a day.

“Even brief moments of positive interaction will increase happiness and reduce stress,” she says.

2. Follow your daily routine

Second, no matter what the holiday season brings in terms of an array of seasonal activities, “maintain your routine,” she says.

For Weiss, it’s exercise, but “maybe your normal routine is reading for half an hour in the morning,” she says. “Maybe your regular routine is breathing before you start your day. Maybe your regular routine is relaxing in a hot tub.”

It’s especially important to keep doing what you’re doing to relieve stress. It will “make everything more normal,” she says.

3. Say no when you have to

Finally, it’s very easy to fill up your schedule this time of year, but you don’t have to say yes to every invitation. “Say no to things that drain you,” Weiss says.

“Certain things will be very important, yes?” she says maybe family gatherings, for example. But, she adds, “non-essentials are things you can say no to, and the litmus test is what’s the worst thing that could happen if I say no to them?”

If you understand that there will be no serious consequences, this is your opportunity to say “no” and get that time back.

After all, Weiss believes, “sometimes less celebration means more joy.”