Excuse me while I do my holiday preset

Right after Halloween, Ashley Guerra was inundated with invitations — to Friendsgiving, to holiday parties, and to New Year’s Eve.

“The holidays always feel a little chaotic,” said Ms. Guerra, 33, who lives in Dallas and works in product marketing for a technology company. “It’s more eating, more drinking, more late nights, more energy to stand up for other people.”

So this year she’s preparing by taking some time for herself leading up to Thanksgiving. “I fill my own cup,” she said.

In other words, Ms. Guerra is trying to give her body a break. Instead of the cardio or heavy strength workouts she does in the summer, she focuses on slower, more restorative routines like Pilates and hot yoga. She has added supplements to her daily routine, such as lavender oil before bed, to put her in a calmer state.

Ms. Guerra has reduced her social interactions from five times a week to one or two. Instead of going to bars and restaurants, she asks friends to have coffee or take a walk around the lake. She also spends more time not socializing at all, instead staying indoors to read or watch movies. “I definitely feel a lot more prepared, even just energetically, to fully show up for the holidays,” she said.

The holidays can be both mentally and physically taxing. According to a poll from the American Psychiatric Association, 31 percent of Americans entered the 2022 holiday season expecting to feel more stressed than the year before, an increase of nine percentage points from 2021. The indulgent and constant eating and drinking, the financial pressure from buying gifts and traveling, and the reunions with family members and old friends can all take their toll.

But some forward-thinking Americans are taking steps now to get their bodies and minds in shape for the future — and it’s a little different than what many people did during the pandemic-era quarantines leading up to the holidays, although of course Covid is. , also still in the mix.

Some people cut back on drinking, socializing or spending money. Others add wellness practices to their daily routine or make a spa getaway. “I call it a mini hibernation,” Ms. Guerra said. Others call it a “preset,” a “pretox,” or a pre-holiday wellness getaway.

Sarah Mary Cunningham, 41, vice president of publicity for Columbia Records who lives in Jersey City, visits her wellness club, where she practices cold plunges, vitamin drops, cryotherapy and breathing exercises.

She sees it as resetting the nervous system. “During the holidays there are endless ads, there are more people in town, there are longer wait times for Ubers and restaurants are really packed,” she said. “It’s a lot of stimulus, and it’s important to stop that now.”

She also hopes to strengthen her immune system. “I got the flu at Christmas,” she said. “I’m trying not to do that again.”

Parents in particular see the need for a break before the holidays. Heather Grabin, who has two children, ages 6 and 11, said, “Between things going on with work and breakfast with Santa, Christmas sleigh rides and school choir concerts, we’re going to be swamped after Thanksgiving.”

So Ms. Grabin, who works in hospitality marketing and lives in Bernardsville, N.J., took a girls’ trip to Montreal last week, where she spent two and a half days at Scandinavian spas. “I had to make time for self-care,” said Ms. Grabin, 36. “It’s amazing what that short amount of time can do for you.”

She now feels ready to embrace the holidays. “I want my children to really enjoy the holidays to the fullest,” she says.

Gabi Ramos Caldato, 38, a journalist and communications consultant living in Manhattan, has given up alcohol and caffeine for the month of November. “I buy a lot of spinach,” she said, laughing.

By cutting back now, she will have more leeway to enjoy herself when she goes to South America for Christmas, where her family lives. “Every night there will be dinner at someone’s house, and we are Latin American, so there will be about 300 people there,” she said. “Now that I don’t drink anymore, I have more energy to do that.”

Devon Chulick, 36, who runs a gaming start-up and lives in San Francisco, has also cut back on his drinking in recent weeks. “It feels like before summer comes, when I start eating healthy to get my summer body back,” he said. “Because I’m feeling so good, I don’t think I will be stressed about all the family gatherings this year. I’m so hyped for the holidays.”