The holiday season often disrupts regular health routines because travel, family gatherings and long task lists change daily plans. Samantha Harden, an associate professor at Virginia Tech, studies how people sustain well-being in real-world settings. She warns that people commonly expect to be their "best selves" in free time and that this expectation can set them up for disappointment.
Rather than waiting for an ideal moment, Harden suggests realistic ways to keep wellness in holiday life. Practical ideas include habit stacking (for example, adding a short family walk after dinner), turning activities into simple games, involving friends or family for mutual support, and using easy travel strategies to reduce stress.
Harden also recommends a broader view of well-being that goes beyond exercise and nutrition. She lists six dimensions—happiness; mental and physical health; close relationships; meaning and purpose; character and virtue; and material and financial stability—and says shifting time between these is acceptable. Taking a break from some routines is not failure, she adds.
Difficult words
- disrupt — to interrupt or change normal functioningdisrupts
- sustain — to keep something going over time
- well-being — state of good physical and mental health
- expect — to think something will happen or be true
- disappointment — sadness when results are worse than hoped
- habit stacking — adding a new habit to an existing routine
- dimension — one area or part of a larger topicdimensions
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Which of Harden's practical ideas could you try during the holidays, and how would you do it?
- Which one of the six dimensions do you find hardest to keep during holiday time, and why?
- How could involving friends or family help reduce your holiday stress? Give one example.
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