The holidays are a time for fun, joy, and spending time with friends and family. Nevertheless, the added responsibility of managing holiday activities can result in stress that leads to a painful migraine or tension headache.

It’s frustrating to have your holiday plans sidelined by head pain. So what steps can you take to avoid headache triggers and keep migraines at bay while you plan and prepare for your holiday events? Try these 4 strategies.

1. Planning for Wellness in the Workplace

Stress is a trigger for many health problems, including headaches and migraines. Even if work doesn’t usually stress you out too much, the extra responsibilities that pop up around the holidays can really add to your workload and make you feel overwhelmed.

If you usually get headaches when you’re trying to do too much at once, plan accordingly. Think about taking some of your PTO during the holiday season to ease the burden of your responsibilities and to give yourself extra time for tasks like shopping, cleaning, and cooking. Most offices aren’t too busy during this time of year anyway!

Not only will you help prevent tension headaches and migraines, but you’ll also be more productive when you are at work, because you won’t be worrying about all the holiday prep you need to do when you get home. Your mental health will benefit from a break as well!

2. Happy Kids Mean Happy Parents

When the kids are out of school, it’s tempting to let the normal schedule fall by the wayside. You might not see the harm in letting your kids have extra screen time or stay up later than usual. While it can be fun to bend the rules from time to time, it’s important not to make a habit of doing so.

Kids are very sensitive to changes in their schedule and if they’re not getting enough sleep, the whole family might notice the effects. Cranky kids mean cranky parents (and headaches)! With this in mind, try to keep the whole family on their normal schedules throughout the holidays and encourage healthy sleep habits.

3. Managing the Physical Symptoms of Migraines

Sometimes, it’s just not possible to prevent headaches altogether, especially during the holiday season. Migraines can really mess up your plans, but if you’re prepared to manage the physical symptoms, then you may be able to recover more quickly.

Talk to your doctor about medication you can use to manage migraine symptoms. You can take them as directed, while ensuring that you get plenty of rest in a quiet, dark room. Remember to drink plenty of water, too!

It’s a good idea to manage your diet and to practice stress-relieving activities like yoga and meditation to prevent migraine attacks whenever possible. Take it easy when you’re recovering from a migraine and delegate some of your responsibilities if you can—migraines are different from a run-of-the-mill headache and can even last for days.

4. Monitor Your Medicines

It’s important to work with a healthcare professional on headache management techniques if you’re prone to getting them during times of stress. Be sure you’re not taking too many medications in an effort to prevent your headaches, as doing so can actually trigger more head pain.

While you shouldn’t avoid medication when you really need it, you should use it only as directed. Managing holiday headaches is more about taking control of your stress levels and environment, not about refilling your pill bottles.

Remember—You’ll Get Through It!

If this holiday season has already been the source of more than a few headaches, then it might feel like January is a long way away. Really, though, the holiday season is short and will be over in what seems like the blink of an eye.

Simplifying your celebrations can help make everything feel easier. Talk with your loved ones and see if you can share the responsibilities so you can keep your stress levels to a minimum. In all likelihood, they’ll be happy to help!

Try to enjoy the holidays and don’t take on too much. Focus on the essentials and remember that what matters is the togetherness, not the perfectly decorated house. You’ll make it through, even when it seems like there’s a headache around every corner. Stay healthy, get enough sleep, and take a break when you need to!