This Holiday = Less Stress. More Joy!

This Holiday = Less Stress. More Joy!

How to reset your expectations and truly enjoy the season.

The holidays don’t have to feel so overwhelming. In fact, they can be a powerful reminder to slow down, set boundaries, and stay grounded—something we practice every day at It’s Yoga Kids®. Do it for yourself and the kids… because calm is contagious.

One of the biggest culprits behind holiday overwhelm is what psychologists call anticipatory anxiety—the stress we feel before something happens. Often, it’s actually worse than the event itself.

Yet the data tells a different story.

According to the American Psychological Association, most people feel more joy than stress during the holidays:

Harvard research also shows that our expectations tend to distort reality. People who expect perfection feel let down, while those who brace for disaster rarely feel as bad as they anticipated. In other words, our mindset shapes our experience long before the holidays begin.

Somewhere along the way, “holiday stress” became a script we repeat without question. By constantly validating the stress, we accidentally take away something essential:

Permission to enjoy ourselves.

So, here’s a thought experiment:

What if you approached the holidays like any other full week? Not with dread or elaborate pre-emptive defenses… but with your everyday coping tools and a bit of healthy flexibility.

Try opting out of the stress narrative—just for one season. Not by denying feelings or forcing positivity, but by noticing what’s actually happening instead of what you fear might happen.

Practice this instead:

Because here’s the surprisingly empowering truth:

You have far more control over your holiday experience than you think.

And with a little mindfulness—and a lot of breath—you and your kids can make this season what it’s meant to be:

More joy. Less stress. All heart.