The end of year holidays are joyous and wonderful and exhausting as all get out. We have more gatherings, more travel, more expenses, less structure, less healthy food and activities, and lots more peopling. It’s delightful and also hugely stressful.

For some it’s just plain stressful. Maybe you’re dealing with in-laws that create constant tension or conflict; maybe you’re traveling with young children that can never find a routine and are just perpetually upset; maybe you’re emotionally fragile because you’re with or without someone. For me, and I suspect most of us, this time of year is best described as perpetual upheaval. There’s no normal from about mid-November until January 1.

This takes a toll on our bodies. No matter how joyous the last six weeks of the year may be, every non-normal component adds stress to our systems. Every new detail to remember, last-minute shopping trip or wrapping session, happy hour with various friend groups, and family gathering adds stress.

Respect that stress. Take a time out. Intentionally de-load your calendar. In a study done on med-students during exam period, researchers found that exams made people more tired, distressed, negatively impacted their sleep, and increased their health complaints.

It took five days for 50% of those students to feel back to normal with their sleep quality and fatigue and feelings of stress.

The takeaway is to take your stressors seriously. Give your body a break. Set time out to relax and recover from the season. Intentionally go to bed a bit earlier. Don’t set stressful meetings this time of year if you can avoid it.

Just relax. Everything can wait for a few more days. Be gentle with yourself and recover from the big, bold end of year bashes.

You’ve been on and high energy for over a month. Turn it down to a low simmer for awhile and recover some of that energy. Acknowledge the stress that comes even in activities you enjoyed and give your body and mind some peaceful time to recover and relax. You will return to yourself refreshed and revived and ready for what’s next this new year.