Holiday Stress: 12 Ways To Restore And Recharge Your Spirit!

It is that time of year! The holidays bring to us wonderful times with family and friends. The holidays also brings stress! There are many things you can do to keep yourself from going over the “stress edge”.

Here are some of my favorite things to do so I will not become a “holiday stress victim”!

12 Tips For Coping With Holiday Stress

1. Journal Your Thoughts

Getting your feelings out as the holidays progress can be helpful. Make it a priority to take some time to write in your journal and write everything down.

Write down how your day went and if it did not go well write why. Go ahead and write down all the negative feelings, frustrations, hurts, anger whatever it is you are feeling.

2. Walk It Off

Adding a quick walk to your day can help relieve that holiday stress. Getting outside in nature and taking a brisk walk does wonders for alleviating stress. Try taking a quick 15-minute walk to energize you and boost your mood.

3. Take A Power Nap

The holidays are busy, but it really is okay to take a break during the day. Take a power nap for about 15 to 30 minutes during the day. You will be refreshed, renewed, and re-energized.

4. Energize With Green Smoothies

Need some extra holiday energy? Drink a green smoothie, it will give your body the much needed nutrients you need to stay healthy especially during busy times.

5. Dance!

Holiday stress can zap the fun out of the day. It is a great idea to get out your favorite music, crank it up and dance. Relieve your stress and get your mojo back! The feel good hormones start going and you will feel great.

6. Express Gratitude

There are many things to be thankful for and the holidays is a wonderful way to let someone know you appreciate them. Write a thank you note to a co-worker, neighbor or friend. It feels great to show someone else appreciation.

Doing something kind for someone else is a great way to usher in more kindness, gratefulness, and thankfulness in your world and the world overall.

7. Take A Whiff Of Citrus

The holiday’s are full of wonderful smells. One smell you should definitely have on hand is the smell of citrus.

Researchers have concluded that the smell of citrus boosts feelings of well-being and alleviates stress by upping levels of norepinephrine, a hormone that affects mood.

Try carrying around a bottle of lemon essential oil. Just take a whiff and feel an uplift in your overall mood!

8. Skype A Friend

Running out of time and still want to connect with friends and family during the holidays? Make a date with a friend on Skype. It is always good to connect with one of your friends you have not seen for awhile.

9. Learn The Art of Saying “NO”

During holiday preparation time there is always so much to do. Many requests are made of us…sometimes too many! It really is okay to say “no”.

We all have limitations and trying to meet everyone’s needs and expectations can cause a great deal of stress.

Remember that you need to first take care of yourself and then take care of everyone else. Start saying “no” to those requests you know you can not do.

10. Laugh A Lot!

The holidays are meant to be a time of joy. Do not forget to take the time to laugh. Laughter gets the feel good hormones going and is good for your health. Take the time to have a good laugh everyday. You will feel better.

11. Go Tech-Free

The buzzing and incessant ringing of cell phones cause holiday stress. It is okay to change your notifications, you do not need to know every time someone post on Facebook or Twitter.

Also, change the ringtones to silent for some of your other alerts. All these alerts on our phone keeps us in a mode of fight or flight.

Each time one of those alerts/notifications go off our adrenaline starts going. Give your self a break and turn off those alerts/notifications.

12. Get Cured

From the “need to please disease,” we all want to be a contributing part of someones happiness during the holidays.

Simple Strategies To Re-Energize During The Holidays [Video]