Holiday routines often derail daily health habits because travel, gatherings and long to-do lists demand time and attention. Samantha Harden, an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s human nutrition, foods, and exercise department, researches how people sustain well-being in everyday life. She notes that expectations about having plenty of free time can make the situation worse by setting unrealistic goals.
Harden recommends practical, realistic strategies to fit wellness into busy holiday schedules. Examples include habit stacking (for instance, adding a short family walk after dinner or sharing a brief gratitude in the mirror after brushing teeth), gamifying tasks (a plank challenge after dishes or a movement-break bingo card), involving others (calling a distant loved one while walking or signing up for a class with a friend), and travel hacks (move when you can, stay hydrated and allow extra time so delays do not add anxiety).
She also urges a broader view of well-being that includes multiple dimensions. Any combination of these can support feeling well:
- happiness
- mental and physical health
- close social relationships
- meaning and purpose
- character and virtue
- material and financial stability
Harden advises accepting shifts in how time and resources are used during the holidays. Reducing focus on one area for a while is not failure, she says, and an all-or-nothing approach usually makes things harder rather than better.
Difficult words
- derail — to stop working or fail unexpectedly
- sustain — to keep something going over time
- habit stacking — joining a new small habit to an existing one
- gamify — to make a task more like a gamegamifying
- unrealistic — not possible under real conditions
- well-being — a state of health, happiness and balance
- dimension — an important area of life or experiencedimensions
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Which of the suggested strategies (habit stacking, gamifying, involving others, travel hacks) would you try this holiday and why?
- How could you involve family or friends to support well-being during a busy holiday period? Give one or two concrete examples.
- Think about the different dimensions of well-being listed. Which two are most important to you during holidays, and how would you balance them?
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