How to Manage Christmas Stress Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Health)

Christmas can feel like a mixed bag of magic and mayhem. Many women tell me they worry about gaining weight, fear undoing their hard work, and feel crushed under the pressure of shopping, cooking, and creating the “perfect” Christmas. Add to that the guilt for not loving every minute of the season, and it can feel heavy and lonely. If this is you, please know — you’re not alone.

My Messy, Merry Reality

For me, Christmas is exactly that mixed bag. I’m lucky to have a family to share it with, but it can still be a massive stress bomb. Managing my mindset has been key to keeping Christmas fun (and doable).

With two Christmas-loving kids and one busy solo mum juggling work, chores and holiday duties, I’ve learned the power of lowering expectations. There are no homemade advent calendars or mischievous elves at my house — just a real Christmas tree (which I’m allergic to, but my kids insist on!). I grumble through the decorating and sneeze for four weeks straight, but it’s all part of the magic.

Out here on our rural property, I’ve trained my extended family to embrace simplicity. I host Christmas lunch with roast chicken, a big salad, and a low-carb cheesecake — and that’s it. The kids run around with water pistols, and everyone leaves happy.

The key? Managing my mindset. Here are the five mindset hacks that keep me sane and grounded through the silly season.

1. Decide Your Boundaries Before You Go

Christmas is far easier when you decide your boundaries in advance. Think about what food and drinks you’ll enjoy, and where you’ll draw the line. Alcohol, for instance, can lower inhibitions and make overeating or arguments more likely.

Practical Tip: Before you leave home, type one food boundary and one alcohol boundary into your phone — then stick to them.

2. Handle the Food Bullies (With Kindness and Firmness)

Food bullies often mean well, but they can pressure you to eat the way they do. Practise calm, kind phrases like:

• “No thanks, that doesn’t agree with me.”

• “That looks great, but not for me, thanks.”

Deliver your line with a smile and change the topic. Eating isn’t a team sport — and it’s okay to protect your health.

Practical Tip: Pick your phrase in advance and practise saying it aloud. That little rehearsal will make it easier when the time comes.

3. Let Connection Be the Main Course

Food isn’t love — real connection is. Laughter, kindness, and presence create much deeper memories than anything on the dessert table. Shift the focus from food to people and play.

Practical Tip: Before each event, choose one person to have a meaningful chat with and one fun activity to join in (like a walk, board game, or cricket match).

4. Swap FOMO for JOMO

We’ve all heard it: “It’s only once a year — just start again in January.” But instead of fearing what you’re missing, start celebrating what you’re gaining. Enjoy the fresh seafood, salads and sparkling water instead of the sugar-heavy processed foods that leave you bloated and flat.

That’s JOMO — the joy of missing out.

Practical Tip: When you skip something, quietly remind yourself, “I’m so glad I’m missing out on how that would make me feel later.”

5. Let Go of Perfection and Plan to Rest

Christmas doesn’t need to look like the glossy ads or Pinterest spreads. “Good enough” really is good enough. Your worth isn’t measured by how many dishes you make or gifts you wrap.

Rest is essential — not optional — for both your mind and your metabolism.

Practical Tip: Schedule at least one “no obligation” rest window in your holiday calendar and protect it like an appointment. Even 30 minutes can make a world of difference.

However You Do Christmas, Make It Yours

Christmas isn’t the same for everyone. For some, it’s joyful; for others, it’s lonely or stressful. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, you can take small, powerful steps to care for yourself. Set boundaries, let go of perfection, and remember — Christmas magic doesn’t come from the food or the trimmings. It comes from you showing up, calm and kind, just as you are.

Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy are the founders of Real Life Medicine. They help women who have been on every diet under the sun, optimise their health and achieve long lasting weight loss without feeling miserable or deprived.

They do this with their 3 step framework:

• Strategies to improve your metabolism
• Brain-based skills to overcome self-sabotage
• Tools to make it easy to implement

With this comes increased energy, vitality and confidence.

You can avoid chronic disease and stop living life on the sidelines!