Contributed by: ElyseRomano on Tuesday, November 15 2011 @ 10:10 am
Last modified on
If the commercials are to be believed, the holiday season is all about thoughtful gifts, delicious dinners, blazing fires, and adorable families in matching sweaters.
I love the holidays as much as the next person, but we all know what they're really like: stressful. The time when we're supposed to feel most connected to our loved ones is often the time when we feel the most distant. And it's no wonder - just look at all the things we have to deal with during the holiday season:
family time - with your own or with your in-laws
increased consumption of food and alcohol
financial worries
increased work load before the holidays
the pressure of shopping for gifts and entertaining
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Thanks to all of these seasonal stressors, the holidays are now notorious for being a peak breakup period. You'll probably never be able to eliminate every source of stress during this time, but if you want to beat the breakup odds there are plenty of strategies you can implement. Heading into the holidays, remember these 5 tips:
Try to anticipate what your problem areas will be, like finances and scheduling conflicts, ahead of time. The more prepared you and your partner are, the less stressed out you'll feel.
Then make a plan for handling those issues when they come up. It's hard to formulate a workable plan of action in the heat of the moment, so take some of the pressure off yourself and your relationship by doing it beforehand.
If you're visiting each other's families or attending holiday work functions together, develop a secret code that means "Get me out of here!" When things get a little too intense, hit the eject button and offer each other the support needed to get through the event.
Take it easy whenever you can. Don't make more commitments than you can actually stick to, and avoid packing your schedule with so many engagements that you have no time left for yourself and for each other. Give yourself permission to say "no" if you need to.
Start your own traditions together if your family traditions aren't compatible. Traditions are one of the trickiest things to navigate during the holiday season. Blend what you can, and forget about the rest. It's not worth fighting over, and the process of inventing your own will bring you closer than ever.
And above all, don't forget to have fun together - that's what the holidays are supposed to be about!