Today I was thinking about stress. This time of year, I think the most common source of stress is just having too much to do. Once upon a time the word holiday meant something like a vacation, but today when we hear the word holiday, vacation is often the last thing to come to mind.

I thought about researching and writing about how stress negatively impacts our health, but then I realized I always feel more stressed after reading those types of articles. Then, I thought maybe I can write about ways to reduce stress. Yet again, I realized that writing about all the things I “should” be doing to reduce my stress just increased my stress level.

Then this question popped into my head, “What would happen if I got sick and only had enough energy to be out of bed for two hours a day?” What would I choose to do with those two hours?

This question really challenged me to look at priorities. What about all the things I didn’t have time to do? Would I leave them undone, or pass them off to others? What commitments would I turn down? How could I find time-efficient ways to accomplish my goals? (i.e. just take box-mix brownies to the party instead of trying to make gourmet homemade candy). If I had four hours, what would I add to my list?

I guess it is still just the same old advice wrapped up in a new question, but for some reason thinking about stress management this way feels empowering. It helped me to see that I have more time than I think I do. For the next few days, I will be writing my to-do lists through this lens.

My only other thoughts about holiday stress are: stop feeling guilty if you are frazzled. Instead of thinking about how we “should” be handling this better, we need to give ourselves some grace. This time of year is stressful for everyone, and no one maintains all their health goals this time of year. I have to continually remind myself that God sees me, loves me, and will provide for me, no matter how well I do or don’t handle things.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. -2 Corinthians 12:9

In an effort to build community, I would love to hear your thoughts on managing holiday stress. Feel free to comment below.