Holiday Stress Getting to You? Try These 5-Minute Stress Busters

We're deep into holiday season, and that probably means plenty of stress. You may be hosting company or traveling (or both 💀), and there are grocery store trips, cooking, kid wrangling, gift wrapping...it's enough to stress out anyone.

But fear not! I have a few quick stress busters that you can do anytime, anywhere. We're not talking about hour-long meditation routines; these all take less than five minutes and will help you regain a sense of calm amidst the chaos.

Oh, and these aren't just for the holidays. Bookmark this post or copy them to your notes app for anytime stress relief.

Stress Buster #1: Box Breathing

This simple breathing technique triggers your body to relax by lowering heart rate and helps focus attention to interrupt anxious or stressful thoughts.

1. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4.
2. Hold your breath for a count of 4.
3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 4.
4. Hold your breath for a count of 4.

Repeat these steps 4 times to find your calm.

Stress Buster #2: 5-Senses Grounding

This is my personal go-to. It redirects attention from stressors to the present moment and helps activate the nervous system’s “reset” pathway.

1. Look: name 5 things you can see.
2. Touch: feel 4 things you can touch (e.g., clothes, desk).
3. Hear: identify 3 sounds.
4. Smell: detect 2 scents.
5. Taste: note 1 flavor (e.g., sip of water).

Stress Buster #3: Rapid Body Scan & Micro-Tension Release

This tension-release technique promotes body awareness and helps refocus your attention on the present moment. It's super easy to do, even in the middle of a busy kitchen.

1. Close your eyes for a few seconds.
2. Scan each major muscle group in your body: feet calves, thighs, hips, back, chest, shoulders, arms, neck, jaw.
3. As you're scanning, tense each muscle group for 1-2 seconds and then release.
   Notice the contrast between tension and relaxation.

Bonus Stress Buster: Use Your Smart Watch

Most smart watches now include apps for mindfulness and breathing exercises. Here's more info on how to use these apps on Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, and Garmin,

Remember, the holidays should be fun and relaxing. Even though that's not always the case, it's still a good idea to try to slow down a little and enjoy the moment. Even if the gifts are wrapped perfectly or some things just don't get done, it probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme.