How to Beat Holiday Stress

If you're worried you'll pay for all those extra calories well into the new year... "There's a motif of consumption over the holidays,” says Scheier. It's a time when food magically appears at every turn and you may very well be moved to eat everything in sight. To make it through with less stress, build up your defenses to unnecessary calories — and lose the guilt about saying no to things you don't especially like, or to not finishing your plate if you've had enough.

Brooklyn-based Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, nutrition expert and author of Eating in Color, says that her number one defensive eating strategy for party season is “don't arrive hungry” to a holiday event, and don't skip meals leading up to it. “Enjoy the food but don't go in ravenous,” she advises.

Before you go to a party, Largeman-Roth advises, have a fiber and protein snack, such as an apple with a cheese stick, or nut butter or avocado on toast. “Having a snack beforehand helps you put the brakes on later,” she says. She also advises not positioning yourself at the buffet table, to lessen the chances of “food amnesia” (you may graze and forget to keep track of what you put in your mouth). Allow yourself to have half-portions of things as well.

Otherwise, stand firm, and know that you don't need to eat to please anyone but yourself. Try what looks irresistible at the buffet, and pass on the rest. If hosts urge seconds or a surplus of treats on you, say you're stuffed but you'll take a goodie bag home, says Largeman-Roth. “What you do with that later is up to you,” she says.

At a time when food gifts are prevalent, also think about unloading any that tempt you to overeat on a school, shelter or neighbor. And try modeling healthy eating by giving citrus items or healthy nuts as gifts instead of lots of sugar.

If you're realizing the holidays tend to turn into the most inebriated time of the year... Consider an alcohol plan. “The stress levels at the holidays make it easy to run into trouble with drinking,” says psychologist Mark Edison, clinical instructor in psychiatry and medicine specializing in alcohol misuse at Mount Sinai Health System in New York. “So rather than drinking whatever someone puts into your hand, plan what you're going to drink — and how many drinks — before you start celebrating.”

Edison suggests keeping a drinking diary ahead of the festivities so that you're in touch with your behavior, and have a firm grasp on how many drinks you can handle. “Include what you drink and when, who you're with, and your feelings and thoughts before, during and after drinking. After two to four weeks, you'll get a good picture."

"Many people drink too fast during the holidays because alcohol is so good at calming holiday nerves,” says Edison. Some rules of thumb:

• Know before you go how your medications interact with alcohol.
• Don't have more than one drink per hour.
• Change the kind of alcohol you drink, such as beer instead of hard liquor.
• Have a full glass of water after every alcoholic drink.

If you want to abstain or at least temper your intake but also want to avoid attention, make or order a drink without alcohol and keep it in your hand the whole time. “Luckily,” Edison says, “the vast majority of people don't care what you're doing. It's relatively rare that someone pushes you to have a drink."

"A glass of soda water with lime will give the look and feel of an alcoholic beverage,” adds Eric Ascher, DO, a family medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, “and amid seasonal conversations with cup in hand, you will not realize the absence of alcohol.”

You can also water down your drinks. “If you choose wine for the night, add low calorie soda or soda water to dilute the drink and make it last longer,” Ascher recommends. “Adding extra ice to all of your beverages will have the same effect."

If you're feeling too overwhelmed by social or family obligations to actually look forward to them...This time of year, it's easy to feel inundated by social obligations. “While extroverts might find a lot of parties energizing, other people may find them taxing,” Scheier says.

Plan ahead and keep your expectations in check. “You might try to expand your social experience at this time of year,” Scheier says, “but it's also OK to have boundaries.”

• Think through your personal party limits. There's nothing wrong with weighing your commitments against your sleep schedule or deciding to make short appearances. Sending your regrets to some invites early is not only polite, it can remove some weight from your shoulders.
• Ask yourself, if you go lighter on the drinking, will all the parties feel a lot more manageable?
• For peace of mind, consider balancing social obligations with dedicated “me time” in your calendar, either in the middle of a busy season or at the end, as a reward.
• If you have a partner, share your apprehension about something like the upcoming office party, and see if you can work together to make things easier. Maybe you make a deal to leave by a certain hour, to check in regularly with each other, or to take two cars in case you want to make an earlier exit.

If you're simply feeling lonely... One recent report found that 46 percent of Americans feel lonely on a regular basis. And according to a study for the American Psychological Association, 26 percent of adults feel particularly lonely over the holidays. While you can certainly feel isolated in a crowded room, plenty of people feel that way because they're — well — alone. For those who are divorced or widowed or are an empty-nester, the holidays can have all kinds of mental health triggers.

One easy fix? Consider activities that help you do good. Science has shown that those who give back experience not only mental health benefits but physical benefits, too. “Put yourself out there,” Scheier advises. This year, a study published in the Journals of Gerontology found that widowed people who volunteered for two hours a week or more felt less intense loneliness. You can learn about volunteer opportunities — at shelters, food pantries, children's hospitals, animal rescue centers and more — through your place of worship or local listings.

If you're light on company for a particular holiday, try to fill the days around it. Reach out to an old pal or invite someone simply to have a coffee or attend a reading at the library. Get involved in a community project. And don't hold back from asking what others are up to themselves; you never know when someone else might appreciate some comaraderie around the holidays.