Perfect holiday? Forget about it!

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Adding extensive preparations, such as shopping, baking and entertaining, to your usual daily demands can take the joy out of the holidays. Instead, consider scaling back. Focus on the holiday traditions you enjoy most, and skip the rest. Accept imperfections in yourself and in others. Embrace the holiday season with peace and good cheer.

Oct. 29, 2020 See more In-depth

See also

  1. 3 simple strategies to help you focus and de-stress
  2. 3 ways to become more stress resilient
  3. 3 ways to learn patience and amp up your well-being
  4. 4 proven ways you can feel happier
  5. 5 ways to bring play back into your life
  6. A Very Happy Brain
  7. Adapt to put stress in its place
  8. Anger management: Your questions answered
  9. Are your holidays a dietary free-for-all?
  10. Balancing work and life responsibilities
  11. Being assertive
  12. Bridge pose
  13. Can yoga help me keep caregiver stress in check?
  14. Caregiver stress
  15. Caregiver stress
  16. Cat/cow pose
  17. Chase away the winter blues
  18. Child's pose
  19. Cobra
  20. Control email to regain control of your life
  21. Coping with excess information
  22. Coping with job stress
  23. Coronavirus grief
  24. COVID-19 and your mental health
  25. Coping with unemployment caused by COVID-19
  26. Destress with breathing
  27. Denial
  28. Does stress make rheumatoid arthritis worse?
  29. Downward-facing dog
  30. Dreading a family holiday gathering?
  31. Ease stress to reduce your psoriasis flares
  32. Feeling overwhelmed? Take a break
  33. Forgiveness
  34. Great expectations: How to keep them from creating unhappiness
  35. Have you had a good laugh today?
  36. Holidays don't have to break the bank
  37. How decluttering your space could make you healthier and happier
  38. How sharing kindness can make you healthier & happier
  39. How to focus on the present for long-term progress
  40. Job burnout
  41. Job satisfaction
  42. Laugh more, stress less
  43. Learn to reduce stress through mindful living
  44. Learn to say no and enjoy the holidays
  45. Lifestyle strategies for pain management
  46. Manage stress through problem-solving
  47. Manage stress to improve psoriatic arthritis symptoms
  48. Mountain pose
  49. Need better work-life balance?
  50. Stress-relief tips
  51. New School Anxiety
  52. Pet therapy
  53. Positive thinking
  54. Problem-solving
  55. Resilience
  56. Say no, to say yes to less stress
  57. Seated spinal twist
  58. Setbacks and criticism — Don't let them derail you
  59. Slide show: Yoga poses
  60. Social support: Tap this tool to beat stress
  61. Spirituality and stress relief
  62. Standing forward bend
  63. Stress and high blood pressure
  64. Stress and technology
  65. Holiday stress
  66. Prevent stress setbacks
  67. Stress relief from laughter
  68. How to say no
  69. Stress relievers
  70. Stressed out? Skip the late show
  71. Stressed? Set yourself up for success
  72. Support groups
  73. The power of positive thinking
  74. Tired of feeling hassled? Try these tips
  75. To manage anxiety, start with the way you think
  76. Use the 80/20 rule to manage time and reduce stress
  77. Warrior 1
  78. What is hot yoga?
  79. What is reflexology?
  80. Why aromatherapy is showing up in hospital surgical units
  81. Work-life balance