The holiday season can be a stressful time for many individuals and the 2020 season brings its own unique challenges. It comes right in the midst of a global pandemic, when many individuals and families are already burdened with health, financial, and emotional stress. In addition, there is a load of extra activity and expectations that can lead to heightened anxiety, depression, and a stalled personal wellness routine.

Balance is the key to managing—and enjoying—this time of the year. In fact, the more time you can devote to maintaining your wellness activities such as exercise and healthy eating, the more energy you will have for the special events and activities that make up the holiday season.

Some  advice on achieving balance during the holiday season and maintaining a healthy lifestyle amidst all the holiday chaos:

1. Choose and Commit to Your Top Wellness Priorities: Keep a strong routine around sleep, diet, and exercise and prioritize your wellness activities before the holiday chaos starts and commit to the top few no matter what.

2. Design Your Holiday Diet: Plan how you will portion out your food. Ideally, half your plate will be filled with non-starchy vegetables, and a quarter each will be dedicated to some kind of protein and something indulgent, like a homemade mac ’n’ cheese.

3. Limit Alcohol During the Holidays: Take more control during the holidays by designing your drink intake before an event, committing yourself to one drink, or opt for a non-alcoholic “mocktail.” There is simply a lot of added stress this time of year, and alcohol seemingly provides a fast, easy solution to that stress; however, heavy drinking or alcohol abuse winds up creating even more stress and worse.

4. Strive for Regular Sleep: Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning, even on the weekends, to positively impact your physical and mental health.

5. It’s OK to Use Your “No” Button: Allow yourself to hit your “no” button when it comes to the extra activities, party invites, shopping trips, and kids’ pageants we face during the holidays.

With the extra stress that 2020 has brought to many families make sure you get the most out of the holiday season by prioritizing your wellness routine.

To read more about Erin’s tips on how to take care of your well-being during the holidays, click here.