The beginning of December brings holiday travel planning, shopping and getting ready for the festive Christmas season. But, the closer Dec. 25 gets, the more stressful things get, too.
Whether you have a family or are single, the holidays bring the same kind of stress. There are gifts to be purchased, travel plans to be made, and often times, things don’t go as planned. It’s a stressful season, but a new self-care trend is offering some relief.
Self-care, according to the global self-care federation, is “the practice of individuals looking after their own health using the knowledge and information available to them.” They also define it as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider.”
Taking an ‘Invisible Day’
In a Nov. 29 feature for Healthline, their experts detail a new self-care trend called having an “invisible day.” According to research from the American Psychological Association (APA), the rates of stress in the U.S. and the reasons why people are stressed are changing. Also, in its 2024 survey, the APA reported that 84 percent of people get stressed during the holiday season.
So, what’s an invisible day? According to Healthline, “Think of an invisible day as a structured pause that allows the body and mind to reset by reducing the noise of external demands.” In plain terms, it’s “time spent outside of your typical routine.”
“When taking an invisible day, you set aside as many of your usual roles and responsibilities as possible,” the outlets adds, “acting as though you are invisible.”
They actually suggest turning off your smartphones for that day, and experts say you’ll be surprised by how much better you feel.
“Phones are contributing heavily to the high stress levels… giving each of us more access to information than we need,” Menije Boduryan-Turner, PsyD, a licensed psychologist and founder of Embracing You Therapy, told Healthline. Boduryan-Turner adds that because not all information is really useful to us, “the underlying issue is access to the information and how that information is landing on us [or is] being processed in our minds.”
Other Ways to Cut Stress
There are other ways of cutting stress during the holidays, too. John Hopkins Medicine suggests accepting imperfection, whether it’s in finding the perfect gift for making the perfect meal on Christmas.
“Before you start preparing, acknowledge that things may not go exactly as planned,” they state.
If you’re not an experienced chef, or if you just want to take it easy over the holidays, there are plenty of meal kit delivery services that can make Christmas dinner easier.
Blue Apron offers “meal kits, low-prep oven-ready dinners & ready-to-eat meals” with no subscription required. Their holiday feast is available from Dec. 22 through 28 and features Roast Beef Tenderloin, Creamy Mac & Cheese, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Crispy Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Grape & Goat Cheese Salad, Apple Crumb Pie and Challah Dinner Rolls. It comes ready to made, with everything needed.
So, be good to yourself this holiday. De-stress, practice self-care and savor the season.
