Holidays can be stressful for a lot of people. The two main types of stress in the holiday season is the stress of having to invite people over, cook for them, and entertain them. The other type of stress relates more to depression.

Over the last couple of years, more than 5 million people have died from COVID-19. Many people don’t have anyone in their lives during the holidays, and it doesn’t help to see so many families gathering together for the winter holidays.

Since there is always so much stress during the holiday season here are four ways on how to avoid holiday stress.

Always acknowledge your feelings. It’s okay to feel sad, especially if you lost someone. It’s always better to let your feelings out than bundle them up inside you. You don’t have to always be happy and it’s okay to feel sad.

Talk to people. When you feel lonely or isolated the best thing to do is just talk to someone you trust such as a parent or friend. It’s not smart to always isolate yourself from everyone else in most cases.

Learn to say no. You don’t always have to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way during the holiday season. Sometimes the best thing to do for yourself is to just say no and hang out with your family at home.

Know your limits. You don’t have to go above and beyond for every single thing that you’re doing this holiday season, and it’s always okay to lessen your own workload.

So remember that even though you might not be stressed during the holidays, plenty of other people are, so keep that in mind this holiday season. Try to make it a goal to talk to people that are stressed and follow our steps on how to stay calm and relaxed this holiday season.