5 Tips to Manage Your Stress During the Holidays (And Not Have Your Schoolwork Suffer)

We all know the holidays can be a hectic time. Along with the busyness of work, school, and daily life, things like travel, shopping, and family gatherings are added into the mix. The holidays are meant to be a time of joy, but a lot of people find them stressful, primarily because of this hectic schedule.

So how can participate in all the holiday celebrations, not neglect your family, and yet still keep up with your schoolwork? Here are five tips to help you stay focused on finishing up your classes strong, while still enjoying this time of year:

1 – Plan Your Calendar

During the holiday season, it’s more important than ever to keep a calendar. You’ve got to keep track of your classes, your work, kids’ school schedules and activities, plus all those holiday events. Check your calendar on a weekly or even daily basis. Write everything down. A day full of tasks might seem overwhelming, but if you write down a list of everything that needs doing, you can start to work out how those tasks can actually be manageable. Also, it can be very satisfying to cross off accomplished tasks on your daily calendar’s to-do list.

2 – Be Diligent

You already know that it requires diligence and discipline to come to class every day, do the homework on time, and still manage your other responsibilities like work and family. But like the previous point says, you can manage it all if you’re diligent with your time and your calendar. Diligence is an everyday thing, and it’s more than just writing out your to-do list. It’s a mental attitude of determination, and a resolve to take responsibility for your actions in every situation. This can help keep you from feeling like other people’s schedules, parties, and events are taking over your life. If you know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, you can say yes without guilt and no without shame, and stay in charge of your time.

3 – Schedule in Fun and Relaxation

Now, those first two points might sound like getting through the holidays is all about clock-watching and mental toughness. That doesn’t sound very low-stress, though, does it? Well, if you’re in control of your time, then you get to schedule in those fun things, just like you schedule in your school work and other responsibilities. It’s important to relax and have fun during the holidays! While you’re making time for your school work, make time to go to that party or take your kids on a holiday lights tour. Having fun with your friends and family will definitely help keep the stress away!

4 – Get some Exercise

If you don’t have a strict workout regime at the gym, you might be thinking that you’d rather wait until the new year to start in with that. That’s understandable – nobody wants to start a diet and exercise program right before the season of delicious food! But exercise for stress relief doesn’t have to be difficult. Even a ten-minute walk around the block can get your blood moving and help energize your mind. Many studies have been done to show that even mild exercise can reduce stress. And during the holidays, you can even combine your exercise with your fun. Why not go to an outdoor festival and walk around, or park at the back of the parking lot when you’re out shopping?

5 – Sleep

Sleep? Who has time for that, especially during the holidays? All kidding aside, during this hectic time of year, getting enough sleep is more important than ever. Getting adequate sleep is one of the best ways of managing stress – your body is stronger and healthier, and your mind sharper and more able to handle all those things on your daily calendar. If you have to schedule it into your calendar, just like homework and parties, then do it. You might have to shut off the TV an hour earlier, or put your phone away before you get into bed, but there are small ways where you can add a few minutes to your nightly sleep.

Stay strong through the holidays, and remember why you signed up for the training program that you did. You’re almost there – you can make it through! And don’t forget to have some fun, too! Happy holidays!

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