Stress symptoms: this is how you calmly get through the next six weeks

Now that November has started, it means the starting signal for the busiest season ever: choosing Christmas trees, finally decorating that Christmas tree after three thousand years of choices, decorating the house, buying gifts, wrapping them, planning the Christmas dinner AND also just working, exercising, and living. That's a mouthful, so I understand that you're feeling stressed. Not sure if you're in a Christmas burnout or just have some healthy stress? I'll explain it to you. Then I'll also tell you how to calmly get through the next six weeks, busy bee.

Recognize stress symptoms

You don't need to be a stress coach to notice that your body sometimes says “help”. This applies not only to the holidays but just all the time. But when do you hit the pause button? You don't want to have some kind of breakdown like Britney in 2007. Please put down the razor. Don't drown in the gifts and wrapping paper. Tune in, because this is how you recognize stress:

1. You lie awake a lot

Are you so tired that you almost start hallucinating, but still can't fall asleep? You toss and turn, have counted eighty sheep, and still quickly ordered some decorations, but your eyes just won't close. Yes, that's what stress does to you. It's called insomnia. This can be a sign of stress because a heightened level of cortisol (aka the stress hormone) causes you to sleep poorly. Your body wants to stay alert continuously, just in case you're in danger.

2. Muscle pain permeates your whole body

Did you bend over the table making ornaments yesterday? Then it's not so strange that you have some muscle pain, but prolonged muscle pain while hardly exercising is not normal. Stress causes you to be in a ‘fight-or-flight’ mode. You're always ready to flee or fight for your life. This keeps your muscles constantly tense, leading to muscle pain.

3. Ailments seem to dominate you

Stress does a lot to your body. You can quickly get a stomach ache because your gut and brain are connected. It's no coincidence that you have to run to the bathroom every five minutes when you're nervous. You may also experience sweating, dizziness, palpitations, headaches, nausea, and hyperventilation. Your body tries everything to let you know that something is wrong.

4. You feel continuously restless

That alertness doesn't let you relax. Are you lying comfortably in bed? Then you're worrying. Are you in the bath with calm music in the background? Then it still feels like there's something you've forgotten. You never truly relax, which makes you restless.

5. You suddenly fly off the handle

Because you already feel so restless, every little thing triggers you. You panic when something simple goes wrong. Although you may not realize it, you've been walking on eggshells for a while. You do everything to avoid stress, but it's still there. And you can't escape it. So what do you do? Let it out. Yell. Because your feelings are their fault. You feel this way because your partner is being mean. Right? Nope, that’s Miss. Stress talking.

6. Snacking is the new dinner

Because you don't take the time to eat, you have a craving for snacks. No candy or cookie is safe from you. Why take the time to eat a lasagna when you can just eat a few small things throughout the day? That's not healthy, but you do it anyway. That's how you get through the day because honestly: who can resist those Christmas cookies? Not me. And that snacking is also a distraction from the stress. You get a quick dopamine hit from that snack, but then you crash and your energy drops again.

7. You forget everything

Do you know that scene from SpongeBob where he has an office in his brain, and everything is lost while hundreds of SpongeBobs are trying to find it? Everything is on fire and there's so much chaos. That's how it is in your brain too. It's too busy processing everything, leaving no time to remember things. Bye memory.

8. You're always cold

Okay, okay, it's getting colder, so it's not strange that your hands and feet are cold. But did you know that stress does the same thing as cold? Both constrict the blood vessels in your hands, feet, ears, and nose, so less blood flows through. If you're lying in an avalanche, your body has to work hard to keep your heart and vital organs warm. Those cold toes don't matter. Stress does that too, so don't be surprised if you want to buy new wool socks when you're stressed.

If these symptoms last longer than a few weeks, then you can be sure this is not a Christmas issue. It's really not good that you're tense on Christmas Day – that should have passed by now.

How do you get through the holidays without stress?

Of course, there's no ‘magic peppermint mocha’ you can drink to combat stress, but there are some things you can do. At least to reduce it.

Remember that not everything has to be perfect

Look, I get it: in the age of Pinterest boards and perfect Instagram Stories, you want your home to look top-notch. With the most beautiful Christmas tree, the best outfit, and the tastiest food, but that's not realistic. If you're still working, trying to maintain a household, and need to be social, you won't be able to get everything to look like it does on TikTok. You're not a machine or a Christmas elf factory. Just do what you can. Maybe a few fun DIYs? Or consider ordering a Christmas dinner instead of spending two nights in the kitchen. Enjoying Christmas is allowed too, right?

Find relaxation

Give yourself that moment of peace. Sit on the couch and put on a nice Christmas movie. Let your partner wrap the Christmas gifts. And don't forget to do fun things. You've been so busy since December 1st organizing the ‘best Christmas’ that you no longer see the fun in it. Go have that cup of coffee with a friend, lie in a warm bath for an hour, or take a walk in the fresh morning air with Christmas music in your ears. Movement is great for relieving stress.

Get a good night's sleep

During your beauty sleep, your brain processes everything you've experienced. Including the stress. It's easy to say that you should stay up another hour because you still want to put the lights on the tree, but you really don't have to. That can wait until tomorrow, right? And the same goes for getting up. When you have a day off, you don't have to get up at six in the morning. Especially if you're stressed. Stay in bed for an extra hour; this will really help you relax. You'll gain more energy, allowing you to get through the holidays even better.

Divide the tasks

Don't go around taking everything on like a headless chicken. You don't have to do everything. December is already such a busy month — why do you want to take on too much? The decorations are already enough, so let someone else do the groceries or order them online. If you plan in advance what you want, you can order it on time. They will just deliver it to your door. And cooking? You do that together. Let your partner, sister, or friend make the appetizer while you whip up the main course. By dividing the tasks, you'll have less stress. Doing everything alone is often not a good idea.

This way, you can avoid a lot of Christmas stress. Because yes, Christmas is already so short. You might as well enjoy it.