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Coping With Holiday Stress

The holidays are upon us and instead of leisurely sipping eggnog around the fireplace, we find ourselves in a frenzy trying to get all too many things done in anticipation of that one perfect, albeit elusive holiday moment.

Despite expectations, holidays are a time when many of us end up so stressed and overworked, the joy is completely lost. Nonetheless, the holidays really should be about family, friends, renewal, and even fun.

As we all know, achieving any dream is not magic, it is mostly hard work. It is worth it though, otherwise we wouldn't go at it so hard year after year. A little bit of balance and planning can go a long way toward de-stressing the holidays and making at least some of those holiday dreams a reality. Here are some tactics to help you deal with the pressures of the holiday season.

Prioritize.

Prioritize, organize and simplify. Sit down and think about your goals. What do you really want out of the holidays? What do you need? What does your family want and need? Don't make assumptions. Talk about it. Needs and expectations change as children grow and family networks variously shrink and expand. Disgruntled family members mean stress for all.

Budget.

Establish your budget realistically and conservatively. There is pressure from every direction to overspend during the holidays. But spending now with the knowledge you will still be paying it off this time next year can zap every bit of the joy out of the season. Be realistic and be honest. Set your budget and stick to it. Despite what advertisers want you to think, the reason for the season is not to spend as much money as possible.

Schedule your Time.

Be just as realistic about your time as you are about your money. Cooking big meals may not be practical. Use convenience foods or pre-cooked options to round out your holiday table. Don't be afraid to ask others to pitch in. Do your shopping online instead of at the mall, and have the gifts delivered. Realistically decide which invitations you will accept and which ones you will not. Discuss priorities openly with friends and family members. Reevaluate and reduce you commitments to bring them in line with manageable reality.

Remember to Relax.

It is easy to forget your everyday good habits during holidays. The stress and frenzy of the season can quickly take its toll. None of us want to be that horrible relative who always manages to spoil the fun for everyone else. Be consciously aware of your stress and fatigue levels. Take a deep breath before you fly off the handle. Learning to keep your cool not only helps reduce the harmful effects of excess stress on your mind and body, it will also help keep stress levels down for all those around you and everybody will be more relaxed and have more fun.

Exercise.

Experts everywhere acknowledge the value of good aerobic exercise in stress reduction and well being. We all know this fact, but often forget it during holidays. Don't. Even if it is only for a few minutes at a time, incorporate physical exercise into your day. Spend a few minutes on your exer-cycle. Take a quick walk. Take the stairs. Is there dancing at the holiday party? Join the fun. It's good for you. Get the idea? Holiday or no, make grabbing opportunities for exercise a regular part of your everyday routine.

Watch What you Eat.

Good nutrition is for good health and every day feel-goods. It is easy to load up on junk during holidays, especially when you may not have time for real meals and then face lavish party spreads. The whole process wreaks havoc with your waistline and your health. You slow down, and your disease resistance is compromised. As a result, you can end up run down and sick right in the middle of the festivities. Despite endless yummy temptations, you do need to make certain your body is properly nourished. Grab a piece of fruit instead of dipping into that candy bowl and at the very least remember your vitamins.

Watch your Alcohol Consumption.

Food is not the only holiday temptation. Be aware of


your alcohol limit and drink responsibly. A season of festivities can be draining in more than one way. Pace yourself, especially if you have a round of parties to attend. Even a couple drinks can reduce your energy level the next day, and if you have a heavy schedule, you may want to go pass on the alcohol altogether. You can count on a hangover spoiling the next day completely, and if you have plans with others, it may be more than your own day that is spoiled. Needless to say, if you are an alcoholic, holidays are not the time to skip AA meetings.

Get Adequate Rest.

Sometimes easier said than done, since the holidays can be a true frenzy. There are gifts to buy and wrap, cards to send, parties to attend, parties to throw, houses to clean, meals to cook and in the middle of all this, most of us still have jobs to do, kids to take care of and families that need our attention. Just thinking about it can make you tired, but fatigue and overwork impair judgment, and shorten tempers. It will wear you out physically and emotionally. And the lovely holiday you were working so hard to create can be dashed by hurt feelings exacerbated by stress induced snipping. Don't be ashamed to take a nap. And don't be ashamed to admit that you need one. Quiet relaxing moments may need to be scheduled. They are essential to your well-being and to a happy holiday season.

Practice Realistic Acceptance.

In all this welter of do's and don'ts, realize there are some things (and people) you will never be able to change. You will be a lot calmer if you can realistically accept, what is unchangeable. Holiday get-togethers are not the place to vent over past wrongs.

Emotional Well Being.

Attend to your emotional needs. For many reasons holiday occasions often reopen old wounds. We all experience loss in our lives, and the season can make a recent divorce or death in the family seem unbearable. Take active measures to take care of yourself. Go to your place of worship. Attend to your spirituality. Although it may sound quaint today, attending a religious service can be very healing. Beyond that, talk about what bothers you. Vent your rage. If for whatever reason, you cannot talk about it to a friend or family member, get a therapist or call a telephone counseling line. There is a free one in most cities. Keeping a journal is one of the oldest forms of therapy, and it too is free. Attending to your emotional needs does not mean spilling your guts at the holiday table, it means finding a safe place for support and using it when needed.

Make Peace with Yourself.

This is not a luxury, it t is a necessity. Time-honored methods of nourishing body and soul include; prayer, yoga, meditation, Tai Chi and devotions. On a daily basis, it is one of the best things you can do to maintain both your serenity and your sanity. Even if you only have a few minutes to do it, make peace with yourself every day.

Remember, no matter what day you celebrate, the holiday season is indeed a season. Prepare to take care of yourself throughout. Schedule time to exercise and relax each day, even if it is only for a few brief moments. Be aware of other's needs as well. Be especially aware if anyone close to you has suffered a great loss in the recent past. In many ways the holidays, which are widely heralded as times of great joy, are also times of great sorrow. That too can be overwhelming. Take deep relaxing breaths when you feel emotions rising or tempers flaring. Above all, do not take everything personally. Realize that under stress (and yes the holidays are stressful) people often say things they normally would not. Do not let them get to you and you will all feel better for it. Take care of yourself and the ones you love.

Have a peaceful stress free holiday.

Copyright 2005 Regina Pickett Garson

About the author:

Regina Pickett Garson edits and publishes Magic Stream http://www.magicstream.org -- which is among the earliest online self-help and wellness resources. She teaches at Virginia College in Huntsville, Alabama.

 

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  • 10 basic health habits

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  • 10 minute tricks to help you get organized

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  • 10 tips for spiritual growth

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  • 12 reflections on personal responsibility

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  • 3 33am

  • 3 questions 5 minutes a day make leaps towards greater balance in one single week with the shicka boom 5 minute morning balance ritual

  • 5 result getting time management tips

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  • 7 solutions for practical stress management

  • 7 ways to stay spiritually balanced

  • 9 ways to motivate yourself when you just dont feel like it

  • accessing your spiritual guidance

  • accurate psychic advice

  • adam as jesus

  • addiction to spirituality

  • alone at christmas

  • amazing faith

  • anam cara making sense of your life

  • angels by our side

  • angel to angel

  • anorexia a game of control

  • another reality tv show or a reality check

  • any experience can change your life

  • any job is an honorable job

  • an introduction to dream interpretation

  • are your goals exciting

  • are you a victim of fabs part 2

  • are you a victim of fabs part one

  • are you fed up

  • are you part of the wake up crew

  • are you ready to handle an indigo child

  • are you ready to listen lets talk

  • are you willing to prosper

  • aromatherapy to awaken your sexual spirit

  • article hurried women syndrome

  • a crash course in tarot for newbies 1

  • a daily refreshment

  • a kernel of truth about relationships 4 steps to improvement

  • a kernel of truth about relationships 5 steps to improvement

  • a life of fun

  • a personal mission statement arghh

  • a proven way that women can quit drinking without aa

  • a secret organisation short story on a possible future

  • a vision of a new morality

  • a word about dream analysis and interpretation

  • back problems and pain the emotion connection

  • beyond smart goals

  • be your own best friend

  • bless your child with the name

  • bringing spirituality to the workplace

  • cailleach the goddess of life and death

  • calling all writers its party time

  • care and maintenance of the human hard drive

  • cheerleaders

  • choose a life mate dont wait for a soul mate

  • choosing our parents

  • christmas for one mental health over the holidays

  • clocks seasons and cycles

  • colour your diet

  • components of a life purpose

  • control your own destiniy

  • control your own destiny

  • conversational negative self talk

  • coping with holiday stress

  • courage is a gift

  • creating miracles with passion

  • creating sacred space in your home office or garden

  • creating the life you desire with ten daily habits

  • cultivate a friendship with death

  • dating site review eharmony

  • dealing with aggression

  • demanding miracles

  • developing personal depth

  • discover the missing key to improving your health

  • discover the upside of anger

  • discover what you really want to do

  • discover who you are and why you are here

  • divining your karmic number

  • divining your life path number

  • divining your number of destiny

  • does prayer really work

  • do not believe all you read in the holy books

  • do we need meditation

  • do we really need god

  • do what you love love what you do

  • dream interpretation archetypal symbols in dreams

  • dream interpretation common items and their meanings

  • dream interpretation dreams about houses

  • dream yourself into your life

  • drug rehab 12 steps or less

  • earning money from home when you have chronic fatigue syndrome fibromyalgia

  • economic justice

  • eliminating trans fatty chaos

  • embracing your wildness

  • emotional baggage

  • entrepreneurs prayer

  • everybody wants to rule the world

  • fairies and mental health

  • faith and depression

  • fear of rejection

  • feelings and attitudes

  • female masturbation excessive indulgence and how to contain the act

  • feminism

  • finding direction finding passion series 2 of 3

  • finding spiritual guidance

  • finding yourself finding passion series 1 of 3

  • finding your inner flame finding passion series 3 of 3

  • fitness

  • fitness of the mind

  • fit for what

  • fit people can sometimes be unwell and well people can sometimes be unfit

  • five ways to expand your comfort zone

  • focus your light earning money from home when you have chronic fatigue syndrome fibromyalgia

  • forgiveness stories definition quotes power to forgive vested with human beings

  • freedom

  • gaining wisdom

  • giving up too soon

  • gods abiding love

  • god our best friend

  • going gaga over yoga

  • good grief

  • happiness

  • have you seen my boss

  • heal thyself first

  • heal your child within

  • higher self growing inside of us

  • holiday fun for singles

  • holistic drug and alcohol rehabilitation for the 21st century fact or fiction

  • holistic is not a four lettered word

  • holistic junction explains why healing arts and massage schools are vital to the medical community

  • how do you build self confidence

  • how do you react

  • how to choose your ideal career

  • how to cope with big cities aggression

  • how to cope with cancer

  • how to decorate a room for just 35

  • how to get everything you want out of life

  • how to have true intimacy in your relationship

  • how to live a balanced life

  • how to save your marriage

  • hurried woman syndrome 5 tips to get the balance back

  • if you really want to help the victims of katrina

  • im fighting this war too in my way

  • im sorry but

  • index

  • individualistic sucess models

  • individualized positive affirmations for improving self esteem

  • infidelity discovered 10 ways to calm your powerful feelings

  • introduction to flower essences

  • in search of self

  • in the begining

  • is america losing its religion

  • is america ready for a low carb spiritual diet

  • is there any way out of this mess

  • is there a place for god in the corporate world

  • is your soulmate an idiot

  • its more important than batting practice

  • its never too late to say i love you

  • its not my job to free tibet

  • its not what you think

  • i am really worried about the future

  • i want to create

  • jesus birthday sacred children series 2 of 3

  • jesus christ one can reach god only through him is this statement correct

  • just do it

  • keeping faith

  • keep good company

  • keys to prosperity

  • kundalini awakening definition and the path

  • largest pagan occult and new age gathering the chicagoland area has ever seen

  • learn about love by reading poetry by a long dead poet named rumi

  • letter to a katrina survivor

  • letting go of our negativity

  • lies kill hearts

  • life balance coaching

  • life balance coaching balance work and life like a pro

  • limiting perceptions and broadening horizons

  • limits of perception

  • live the dream

  • love and light

  • love is in the air five steps into joyful abundance

  • love vs fear volume 18

  • low carb and lowfat diets a scam

  • magic spells paranormal cures or mind over matter

  • make 2002 your best year ever

  • making better decisions

  • making new friends

  • male masturbation excessive indulgence and steps to control the act

  • management from within

  • mary poppins and the principle that life is supposed to be fun

  • masculine energy versus feminine energy

  • medical miracle or mistake

  • mental diet food for the soul

  • mindfulness and neuroscience lets make a deal

  • mind body spirit healing vs traditional psychotherapy psychoanalysis

  • moksha salvation in hinduism highlights concept and the path

  • more magical affirmations

  • most of our troubles are bought about by exercising our own free will

  • muraqaba the sufi meditation

  • music our connection to the higher conscious

  • mystical or mind over matter the truth about magic spells

  • mythology parables in modern communication part 2

  • my inner what

  • negotiation strategies especially for couples

  • new age motivational tools

  • new age spirituality

  • new age world government

  • nothing ever stays the same

  • nothing is darker than midnight and it lasts one minute

  • no invitation needed sacred children series 3 of 3

  • nurturing your spirit

  • one humanity

  • one life to live make the best of it

  • on being a foreigner

  • origin of certain thoughts part i

  • origin of certain thoughts part ii

  • our feelings and attitudes around happily ever after

  • out of the closet

  • passions search for destiny

  • passion and soulfulness

  • passion versus detachment

  • passion vs detachment

  • pathological eating disorders and poly behavioral addiction

  • path to healing

  • pen pal romance

  • personals chrsitian online dating

  • petitioning for your needs

  • philosophy and cancer treatment

  • pioneering insanity

  • playing the numbers home buying and selling

  • practice practice practice

  • psychic angels

  • putting spirit first goals for your soul

  • quick fixes happiness in a bottle

  • quick throw me a line

  • quiet reflection a b12 shot for the spirit

  • real spirituality

  • recreating yourself

  • regrets ive had a few healing through liberation from regret and denial

  • reincarnation sacred children series 1 of 3

  • relationship saver

  • religion and spirituality what differentiates religion from spirituality

  • religion and technology

  • religion and techology is 21st century religion only a click away from god

  • reveal the leader within

  • rewriting the story

  • rituals

  • rotator

  • running on empty

  • sacred sex

  • saints or charlatans

  • sanctification

  • searchers follow ancient traditions

  • search for and find your motivation

  • second time around the block

  • self care

  • self realization how it can be achieved within ones life time

  • sensual and spiritual erotic art

  • serenity

  • setting goals for success

  • sex and the soul

  • sex of the baby

  • shadows

  • shaking things up

  • short story a possible future

  • should you forgive infidelity

  • sole work walking the spiritual path

  • so am i projecting our qualities

  • spirituality and success bridging the gap

  • spirituality blues for buddha

  • spirituality enlightening cinema

  • spirituality impersonating jed mckenna

  • spirituality the bottom line

  • spiritual and sexual healing

  • spiritual fitness get your chakras in shape

  • spiritual identification

  • spiritual marketing

  • spiritual partners

  • stop scoring own goals

  • stress exercise how do i make it work for me

  • stress performance how much is just right

  • stress self esteem raising one by lowering the other

  • stress spirituality part 1

  • surrender if you wish to conquer

  • take a look around do you think things are balanced in our world

  • taking back christmas

  • taking personal stock

  • tarot cards tarot readings

  • teaching the body health

  • tempering temper

  • ten powerful keys to healing yourself

  • ten powerful keys to unlocking health

  • these are the signs of the times

  • the aggression of big cities

  • the alchemy of real romance

  • the american dream are we really free

  • the art of giving pleasure out of fullness

  • the benefits of meditation tips and techniques

  • the blissful union of wellness and fitness

  • the choice

  • the cliche of balance

  • the coach approach

  • the dating scene signs of a promising relationship

  • the disciplines of success

  • the dollar bill game

  • the endless pursuit of happiness

  • the first ninety days

  • the first step

  • the five essential secrets of managing your energy successfully

  • the five keys to stress control

  • the four elements

  • the freedom to fall

  • the good the bad and the ugly

  • the importance of spirituality

  • the joan of arc complex

  • the joy of tantric massage

  • the kabbalah of rosh hashana from tears to transformation

  • the kabbalah of yom kippur rising above time

  • the law of attraction in action

  • the leadership development plan

  • the loneliness of personal growth

  • the new age movement

  • the non existing i

  • the pleasure of simple things

  • the power of intention

  • the power of our thoughts

  • the power of personal environments

  • the power of positive affirmations

  • the power of witnessing and segment intending

  • the pursuit of happiness

  • the reality of fairies

  • the real kama sutra is not tantra but heres why you should be interested in both

  • the road to inner peace

  • the spirit of change

  • the subconscious link to our computer desktop

  • the three you

  • the toilet philosophy

  • the top 10 design tools for enhancing your spiritual connectedness

  • the value of affirmations

  • the writer as activist

  • things are good because i say they are

  • this was not my plan

  • time do you spend it or invest it

  • time do you spend or invest it

  • top 10 powerful keys to healing yourself

  • toxic friendships

  • to be is to become

  • to find balance retreat

  • to hell in a handbasket men who crash and burn

  • to lie or not to lie

  • to love forever

  • to witness t he l ife t hat is god

  • training or television working out when youre not well

  • trends in gift giving jewelry a timeless favorite

  • trusting the universe or not

  • turning obstacles into blessings

  • two types of spirituality faith and knowledge

  • wellness

  • wellness of the mind

  • we all send signals

  • we shouldnt have burnt the witches philosophy and cancer treatment

  • what if i fall flat on my face

  • what in the world is life coaching

  • what is ayurvedic medicine

  • what is enlightenment meaning definition and its relation to self realization

  • what is reiki

  • what is yoga

  • what is your recovery rate

  • what is your world view

  • what i learned from a parakeet

  • what kind of yoga and meditation leads to gaining enlightenment in this life

  • what will we do

  • whose thought is it anyway

  • who is pushing your buttons

  • who is the inner critic

  • why being spiritual can get you nowhere

  • why is this happening to me again an interview with dr michael ryce

  • why keep a journal

  • why make a new years resolution when you can make a one decision

  • why my man behaving strangely

  • why should we keep our thoughts clear

  • will yoga help you lose more weight

  • worldly balance

  • yoga and meditation that leads to gaining enlightenment in this life

  • your life your values

  • your money or your life

  • you are never alone

  • you can influence your fortunes in life

  • you gotta be

  • you gotta be positive