The holiday season is officially here!  This time of year can bring excitement, anticipation, warmth, celebrations, and let’s be real honest here, stress! The stress level for everyone is different depending on what their role is.  It can be a good stress, “I have a lot to plan to get ready to host a big meal for my family and/or friends but I am so excited see everyone.” Or it can be a stress that just is too overwhelming, “I have so much to do to get ready for the holidays and I still need to manage all the other day-to-day tasks on top of it.  I don’t know how I can do it all!”

Whether it is a good stress (called eustress) or a bad stress (called distress), it is a stress that can take a bit of a toll on our body and mind in a not-so-great way, especially on our mood and health.  For this particular blog, we are going to focus more on distress and how to help handle this kind of stress through tiny habit building.  If you find that you do not encounter a lot of distress through the holidays, please keep reading because you are able to use tiny habit building in other ways to help promote overall health.  

Distress can cause our moods to change, and we behave in ways that aren’t our typical norm. So how do we lower our stress levels to help us feel better in the long run?

BJ Fogg PhD, from Standford University, came up with one way to help with behavior change called the Tiny Habits Method (2014). The Tiny Habits Method is about wanting to make a behavior change to better your health, and breaking it down into a VERY easy, small, and manageable goal that has a reward at the end. Fogg found that for this behavior change to be truly successful, we have to do two things:

1.  Make the new behavior you want really small

2.   Celebrate doing the behavior immediately

Once you have identified the tiny behavior you want to change, you then pair the new tiny behavior to an anchor.  For example: After I do ___________, I will do ___________.

So, let’s try to apply the Tiny Habits Method to our distress example above.  You know you have a lot to do over the holidays and it causes you a lot of stress and it affects your mood and health. Let’s identify one small and easy thing that you can do day-to-day to help you manage your stress, change your mood, and give you a reward at the end. Here are two examples:

1.       Positive self-talk.  Pump yourself up for the day and get mentally prepared for how the day can go.

In the morning after brushing your teeth (this is the Anchor), stop and take a breath and say in your head or out loud, “It is going to be a good day today.  I have a lot on my plate, but I will do my best to get done what I can.” (this is the New Tiny Behavior). After thinking or saying this statement out loud, say, “Good for you! You got this.”  (This is the Celebration).

This might sound a little silly to do but why not give yourself props for what you are trying to manage?  If you can go into the day with a realistic expectation of yourself and congratulate yourself for managing what you must accomplish, you are more likely to succeed and hopefully this will help feel just a little less stressed.  

You can also try this idea at the end of the day:

Once the day is complete and you are getting ready for bed (the Anchor), take a few deep breaths, and say, “Today was a stressful day.  I did the best I could, and I am proud of myself for accomplishing what I could. (the new Tiny Habit) Good for me!” (the Celebration).

2.       In the morning, write down one item you want to accomplish for that day that will help take away some stress.  

At breakfast (the Anchor), I will write down one thing I want to accomplish that will help me with my stress (the new Tiny Habit). Once you have accomplished this objective, cross it off your list and congratulate yourself for getting it done, (the Celebration).

These are just two ways to help you with your distress.  Can you think of other ways that would help you manage your stress using the Tiny Habits Method?  After a week of doing this tiny habit, check in with yourself. Are you feeling just a little less stressed?  Is your mood different in a better way? Are you noticing that you feel better about tackling all the to-do items that come with the holiday season?  If you can answer yes to one or more of these questions, congratulations!! Fogg also discovered that once you find you can accomplish one tiny habit, you are more willing and wanting to expand your tiny habit into something bigger.  Example: Instead of writing down one item to accomplish each day, you find you can do two items in that day.

If you can’t say yes to any of the questions listed above, think of another tiny habit that you can try.  Sometimes it takes a little experimenting to find the right formula for you and your situation.

Remember, the tiny habit must be small, easily manageable and celebrated.  When we set our expectations too high, we are less likely to succeed.  When we create tiny habits, we are more likely to succeed, and we are more likely able to feel more confident in taking on the next challenge that comes into our lives.

The beauty of the Tiny Habits Method is that it can be used for anything when it comes to behavior change for your overall health.  Like eating healthier, sleeping better, exercising more, etc.  To learn more about the Tiny Habits Method, you can check out BJ Fogg’s at: www.tinyhabits.com.

You can even sign up for a FREE five-day “Tiny Habits” coaching session.  

Good luck, happy holidays, and remember, you got this!

Lisa Fisher
Certified Health Coach, Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist at FITSPACE in St. Louis Park, MN