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How to Keep Holiday Stress in Check

Relatives, parties, shopping, oh my! It’s easy to see why the most wonderful time of the year can also be one of the most anxiety-producing. Try a different stay-cool strategy each day, and from now on your troubles will be out of sight!

Instead of driving around to see your neighborhood light displays, slip on your jacket and walk.  Just 20 minutes of exercise elevates serotonin levels and with it your mood!  Or sign up for a hiking and yoga sessions at LG Ranch adding nature to the mix is gratifyingly stress busting.

Drop some coin in the Salvation Army bucket.  Giving even a little to charity activates the same “reward circuit” in the brain that lights up when you indulge in chocolate or other fun activities such as Yoga at Chandor Gardens on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30pm.

Just Breathe!  Breathe in for four counts, out for eight.  Don’t force the air out (that will create tension) just release.  Try this any were, at a party, the grocery store, in traffic—anytime you feel stressed.  This type of exhalation stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which lowers your heart rate and relaxes the entire body.  You can experience different types of breathwork at both Hiking and Yoga or Yoga at the Gardens.

Be present.  While baking batch number 2,759 of holiday goodies, stop and take in the sights, sounds and smells of all those delicious homemade desserts.  Stop worrying about the future and take stock of the moment, brining yourself back to the present silences anxieties. Yoga at Chandor Gardens or LG Ranch can also bring you back to the present.

While out shopping, duck into an essential oil, candle or bath and body shop.  Rub on some lotion or inhale a scent.  Lavender and ylang-ylang scents are particularly soothing, but any favorite scent will do.  Every time you treat yourself, you feel more in control.  So give yourself some credit and amplify the physical stress relieving effect of pampering yourself.

Don’t forget to actually enjoy yourself this season!

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