If the holidays stress you out, take this advice. It is not perfect. It is simply hard-earned. I learned all of it the long way.

1. Know your limits with family.
It took me years to figure this out, but I have a formula: three nights, four days. That is my maximum dosage before I start twitching, regressing, or becoming increasingly cranky. Your number might be different, but you have one. Honor it.

Too much exposure to the people who made you can turn even the most evolved adult back into their fourteen-year-old self. Protect the version of you who has to go back to work next week.

2. Treat your body well.
Sugar, alcohol, sugar, alcohol, repeat. Throw in a few mindless candy canes for good measure. It seems festive until the mood crash hits and you start questioning every life choice you have ever made. Do yourself a favor. Drink water. Move your body in a way that feels good. Eat one real meal. You will think more clearly. You will feel more human. You will like yourself more.

3. Stop saying yes out of pressure.
Real estate has a way of turning every holiday gathering into a networking opportunity. It is easy to convince yourself that you have to go to every party because it is “part of the job” and “you never know who you might meet.” But here is the truth: you cannot build meaningful relationships if you are exhausted, resentful, or socially burnt out. Go to the gatherings that feel energizing or genuinely warm. Skip the ones you are white knuckling. Your business will survive.

4. Limit the gifting.
This one is controversial. Gifting stresses people out more than anyone wants to admit. And let us be honest. No one needs another branded corkscrew.
If a gift feels right, give it. If it feels forced, stop.

A handwritten note goes much further than an obligatory, last-minute item that ends up in a drawer. People remember sincerity, not stuff.

Coaching Corner: Your Holiday Operating Manual

Here is a simple way to keep yourself sane this week.

Ask yourself one question:
What version of me do I want to bring into the room?

Choose one:
Steady. Warm. Present. Light. Detached. Fun. Boundaried.

Then let that choice guide your decisions.

Where you go. How long you stay How much you engage. Who you sit next to. How you speak to yourself in the process.

You do not need to perform your way through the holidays.
You only need to take care of the system that carries you into the new year.