5 Ways to Avoid Stress This Holiday Season

As a small business, we at AIRI Jewelry & Gallery learned that the holidays can bring as much stress as they do joy. With an overwhelming amount of pressure to stay ahead of the holiday rush and festivities, it is easy for anyone to feel anything but cheerful. Fortunately, there are ways to preserve your joy through the season. Here are a few we find helpful for staying mindful during the holidays: 

1. Protect yourself (and your wallet) from holiday burnout by knowing your limits: Have an honest moment with yourself to acknowledge your threshold for holiday shenanigans. Remember, you don't have to do it all! You don't have to host every party, buy everyone a gift, or attend every event. Some people are just born with holiday DNA, and there are some easily content by taking the time off from work to relax and stick to a daily routine. No matter which approach, it is key to remind yourself it is okay to take it all in at your pace and capacity. And at no moment will it ever be okay to allow someone or yourself to make you feel guilty about it.
2. Go with the flow: We’ve seen it in every movie! Someone expects the holidays to go perfectly as planned, and then it chaotically spirals. By then, you are so blindsided and disappointed that you miss the moments that matter. The bar is often set impossibly high for the holidays, and we tend to feel upset when our celebrations fall short of the expectations. Here is a secret: the best way to avoid shattered expectations is by not setting any! Live in the present, go with the flow, and embrace imperfection. 
3. Be kind to yourself: Despite how busy it may get over the holidays, be sure to set aside some time to take care of yourself and recharge before the next round of festivities. You know what to do to release those endorphins; but here to offer some inspiration: take a walk, draw a bath, light some candles, or just sit down by yourself with a good book. No matter what, take time. 
4. Shop smart: Once you set a budget, be sure to stick to it. You don’t have to spend tons of money on gifts or decorations—especially if it feels like a stretch. You can save on gifts (time, money, and stress) by buying ahead of time to avoid high shipping costs and delays that are inevitably around the corner in December. Signing up for exclusive access to the biggest or only end-of-the-year sales at stores like AIRI can also reassure you are getting the lowest prices guaranteed, as early as possible. 
5. Throw in a little gift for yourself! With all this giving, why not get too? You deserve to be taken care of. Don’t think you can afford it? Our tip is to shop Buy 1 Get 1 sales, so each time you gift someone, you get something special too (for free!).

No matter how you celebrate (or not) – we at AIRI Jewelry & Gallery wish you the best holiday season. We hope you find joy and positivity using these tips as we all gear up for the holiday chaos. See our Holiday Gift Guide for more inspiration and jewelry styles that make for unforgettable statement pieces.