Published December 17, 2025 02:24PM
In Yoga Journal’s Archives series, we share a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. These stories offer a glimpse into how yoga was interpreted, written about, and practiced throughout the years. This article first appeared in Yoga Journal in 2023. Find more of our Archives here.
Tis the season to be jolly…and overworked, frazzled, exhausted, freezing, overcommitted, a little broke, and stressed out. The days are shorter, the nights colder, and the to-do lists longer. There are backyards to winterize, presents to buy, parties to attend, cookies to decorate, professional projects to wrap up, children’s recitals and plays to attend, roofs to repair thanks to the first big storm, and end-of-the-year reviews to endure. And to top it all off, you’re likely about to spend a lot of time in close quarters with family members who know how to work your every last nerve.
As wonderful as the end of the year can be, there’s also a lot of holiday anxiety to cope with, especially considering current events and the constant connection we have to the news via social media.
“Stress and anxiety are at an all-time high, and almost everyone seeking therapy reports the same cluster of symptoms: burnout, stress, anxiety, a numbing disconnect, and even a hopelessness about life,” reports Chandler Chang, PhD., a clinical psychologist and founder of the online personalized mental-health plan provider Therapy Lab. “Hypervigilance is wiping us out, affecting our sleep, motivation, concentration, and ability to connect with each other.”
Things can get particularly dicey as the holidays draw near or weather worsens. Our everyday routines are disrupted and we’re left with chronic stress, theorizes Chang. That’s why it’s important to cultivate what she calls “intentional mood boosts.” These small actions spark big joy. The best part is that they don’t need to be overly complicated, expensive, or even particularly unique to work their vibe-changing magic.
No one can mentally afford to white-knuckle it until spring, so instead turn to this list of expert-recommended, science-backed strategies to calm down, decompress, and safeguard your sanity during shiver season.
13 Ways to Calm Your Holiday Anxiety
Chang recommends things like “making a weekly soup, creating an amazing playlist, or [indulging] in a candlelit soak.” And there are even more ways to de-stress during the holidays.
1. Light Up
Burning a scented candle can help you set a meditative mood as you cleanse bad energy and enhance mental clarity.
“Our sense of smell has this remarkable capacity to instantly connect to our nervous system, triggering the part of our unconscious mind that releases the proteins and enzymes responsible for how we react to external and internal stressors,” says aromatherapist Amy Galper, founder of the New York Institute of Aromatherapy and an ambassador for Caldrea. “That means when we smell something we recognize as pleasant, it immediately soothes us.”
Galper suggests finding candles in scents that conjure fond memories and take you to a happy place. “Focus on the dancing flame and smell the fragrance lifting into the space,” she suggests. “It offers us an experience of stillness and peace.”
For winter whiffs, she recommends juniper, frankincense, clove, and peppermint. You can also get an aromatherapy fix from essential oil-dabbed wrists and diffusers, a bouquet of flowers, lavender eye pillows, even fragrant soups.
2. (Yoga) Practice Makes Perfect
Given that you’re currently reading Yoga Journal, we’d like to assume that you know getting your butt on a mat and moving provides numerous health benefits. But not every type of yoga has the same effect on your brain. Although some of respond better to intense practices, demanding teachers, and heated studios, slow flow and yin or restorative sessions are usually your best bet for calming the mind and soothing tension thanks to their long holds and emphasis on deep exhalations. Bend and breathe your way to a better mood with a nighttime routine or this 10-minute sequence.
3. Let’s Talk About Sex
“Sex, solo or not, and orgasms can be a self-care activity and a bright spot of pleasure when we’re chilly, less active, and experiencing the effects of too little light,” says Carol Queen PhD., the in-house sexologist at Good Vibes.
“Arousal signals a change in brain chemicals and hormones like oxytocin. Sometimes called the cuddle or love hormone, oxytocin can have a relaxing effect,” explains Queen. “With arousal and the build-up to orgasm, our musculature gets involved—contractions of the pelvic floor, sheet-clutching, toe-curling, and arched backs—and orgasm allows for a release of these tightened muscles [accompanied by] a feeling of relaxation.”
You don’t have to go all the way to benefit from frisky business. Queen explains, “Any sensual and sex-adjacent behavior engaged in with desire and enthusiastic consent is likely to help you get through winter doldrums. Sex is how many adults play and that gives us joy and relaxation.” The Queen has spoken.
4. Napper’s Delight
Grabbing some extra zzzzzs may be the glorious act that your holiday calming ritual is missing.
“Napping may relieve stress, improve alertness, and also be good for your emotions,” according to a University of Rochester Medical Center post citing a study that found napping might “block negative feelings like frustration and impulsiveness.” Although there is some research that suggests not all naps are good naps, the publication suggested guidelines for siestas that won’t disrupt your more important overnight sleep. They include: limit naps to 20 to 30 minutes (set an alarm), immediately stand up and get moving when your time is up, disconnect from tech and bright lights when trying to nap, and don’t nap after 3 p.m.
5. Security Blankets
To make your nap game even stronger, invest in a high-quality weighted blanket. These comforters, which are typically filled with beads, mimic deep touch pressure therapy, acupressure, and massage, each of which has been found by research to bring on a calming sensation.
Deep pressure can lower cortisol levels and increase serotonin production, which Chang says can come in handy when bad days (hello, holiday anxiety) call for curling up in a ball and sitting in your feelings until they subside.
Not only that, weighted blankets can promote better sleep and lower physiological stress levels by reducing stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (which incites the fight-or-flight response) and turning on the parasympathetic nervous system (which controls the body’s ability to relax).
She also suggests that weighted blankets can elevate your next Netflix-and-chill session. “Get your favorite tea, dim the lights, grab the blanket, and watch a sad movie,” she says. “I love to recommend a paradoxical approach to negative emotions and winter-y variables. Half the stress of managing negative emotions comes from our desire not to feel. If you let go of that and embrace the moment with an observant eye, then the burden tends to lighten and makes room for something new.”
6. Play With Fire (or Just Stare at It)
If a candle sparks chill vibes, imagine what sitting by a warm fireplace, campfire, or firepit could do for the nerves. After all, what is a roaring fire if not a supersize candle?
“There is something very deeply sedating about watching flames flicker and dance,” Galper says. “I’d guess it has something to do with a deep connection to our ancient roots. Sitting around a fire, hearing the crackling, and smelling the aromas from the burning wood and plant materials offers a kind of all-sensory grounding.”
If a bonfire sounds like your kind of good time but your home is hearth-less, find a restaurant or resort near you that has one in a public space and borrow theirs. Or plan a different kind of date in a park or campground that is pro-pyre. Fire, fresh air, and flora are a tranquility trifecta.
7. Meditate On It
We get it. Monks make meditation look simple, but it sure ain’t easy to quiet the mind and stop ruminating about everything you need to get done, the disappointing meeting you had with your kid’s teacher, or the weird interaction you had with Janice in accounting. But sitting in stillness is worth trying, even if just for a minute or two.
According to anecdotal evidence and research by the Mayo Clinic, meditating engenders “a sense of calm, peace, and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health.” It also lowers your resting heart rate and blood pressure, helps you focus your mind, increases self-awareness, and helps you find some emotional balance throughout the day.
Whether you practice guided meditation, mantra, mindfulness, tai chi, qi gong, or transcendental meditation, there’s also evidence that meditation causes the brain to release more dopamine, one of the four feel-good hormones. Dopamine delivers intense feelings of pleasure and reward (yes, please!). Further squash stress by pairing meditation with pranayama (breathwork).
8. Sip, Sip, Hooray
Baby, it’s cold outside, so put some water on and make yourself a hot drink. But do so mindfully. First, grab the mug of tea or coffee and feel your hands heat up. Next, cool things down a smidge by taking some deep exhalations and letting the steam rise and open your pores. Then slowly sip, feeling the warm concoction traveling down your throat and into your belly, turning your insides warm and fuzzy.
Herbal tea is your healthiest bet. Chamomile is known for its anti-inflammatory and calming effects as a sleep aid and for PMS relief. Peppermint can help quell fussy tummies and boost antioxidants. Or support your immune system with echinacea and rose hips, because there’s nothing more stressful than being sick during the busy holiday season.
If hot cocoa is more your taste, try to make it of the dark chocolate variety with 70 percent or more cacao, as scientists have linked improved moods and decreased anxiety with its magnesium and flavonoids.
9. Soak Off Stress
Rub-a-dub-dub, jump in a tub. “Submersion in warm water calms the physiological part of the fight-or-flight response,” explains Jonathan P. DeVierville, vice president of the International Society of Medical Hydrology and Climatology, in a 2021 article for Yoga Journal.
Let yourself steep, submerged to the neck (as long as you don’t suffer from respiratory or heart issues), for 15 to 20 minutes in water that’s between 98.6 and 104 degrees F to trigger blood vessel dilation, increased circulation, muscle relaxation, and nervous system de-escalation.
Galper suggests adding some essential oils or plant-based aromas—frankincense, ginger, and lavender are her warming wintery scents of choice—to level up your watery winding down. “Bathing is deeply integrated into so many ancient cultures [that] recognized the powerful combination of warm water and aroma,” she says. “An aromatic bath is truly a holistic experience, relaxing and releasing tension and stress in the mind and body simultaneously.” In fact, balneotherapy is a form of therapeutic bathing popular in Germany, Turkey, Spain, and the Czech Republic.
10. Dance Dance Revelation
In their New York Times-bestselling book Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle, authors Emily and Amelia Nagoski assert that to return the body to a state of relaxation and prevent burning out, one must complete the “biological stress response cycle.” And according to them, physical activity is the single most efficient strategy for completing it.
Physical movement is what tells your brain that your body has successfully survived the threat and is now in a safe place. “Dealing with your stress is a separate process from dealing with things that cause your stress. Your body has no idea what filing taxes or resolving intrapersonal conflict through rational problem solving means. It knows what jumping up and down is. Speak its language,” they write.
The sisters recommend various methods of doing this, including daily walks, yoga, or coloring, but perhaps none are more fun than an impromptu dance party. Turn up your favorite high-energy track and boogie down to get the heart rate up and keep going until you make like Taylor Swift and shake it off by wearing out your body’s stress response. Once you stop and your breathing and heartbeat naturally slow, you’ll know you’ve “cycled through.”
Rest assured, you’ll reap the benefits of cutting a rug whether you have Beyonce-level skills or those that more closely resemble your in-laws at a wedding.
11. The Great Outdoors
Like complicated houseplants, humans need regular hits of sunlight. Exposure to the Sun’s ultraviolet rays trigger the skin to produce vitamin D3, which is turned into an active form of vitamin D with an assist from the kidneys and liver. That’s a crucial component in serotonin production and release, which is credited with boosting moods, increasing focus, and inducing calm.
Unfortunately, with shorter days, longer nights, and gloomier weather, winter can make it difficult to score those vital doses of liquid gold and vitamin D that lift our spirits and keep seasonal sadness packed away with our bikinis. “Winter light and weather that keep us inside really do impact our physiological susceptibility to anxiety and depression,” Chang explains. “The good news is that getting early morning sunlight and/or using a light box [which emits light that mimics sunshine] are ways to make up the deficits.”
12. Puzzle Your Way to Peace Of Mind
Since jigsaw puzzles were invented in the 1700s, they’ve served a multitude of purposes, including promoting dexterity and problem solving in children, cultivating bonding amongst strangers on cruise ships, and providing multi-generational entertainment during snowed-in holidays. More recently, researchers have conducted studies that prove the positive effects of puzzling—jigsaw, crossword, sudoku, or otherwise—on our aging minds and grumpy moods.
The focus and cognitive demands the puzzles require provide leisure palliative coping. This is a fancy way of saying the activity gives your brain a breather from stressors by creating a diversion and inducing a meditative-like state. And nothing beats the satisfying rush of putting the last piece in place.
13. Just Say No
When all else fails in the war against stress, remember that retreating is always an option. Not forever, of course, because socializing has been proven to increase longevity. But most of us could benefit from turning things down on occasion. According to a 2019 study by leadership training company VitalSmarts, Americans are extremely overcommitted, with 60 percent of people routinely taking on more tasks than they have time to finish. Another 20 percent admitted that they were already at their limit.
Overflowing calendars and to-do lists negatively affect our mental state by causing holiday anxiety and feelings of both being overwhelmed and inadequate. Accept the limitations of time, focus on what is truly most important first, and normalize passing on invitations, asking for help, divvying up responsibilities at work and home, and dedicating time to rest and recharge.
And remember, “no” is a complete sentence. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for using it.
This article has been updated. Originally published December 5, 2023.
