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As wonderful as the holidays are, they can come with extra stress and anxiety. If you feel a bit overwhelmed this season, you aren’t alone. To help, there are a few things you can do to feel more in control and, therefore, enjoy the holidays more. Read on to learn three simple ways to reduce holiday stress.

3 Ways To Reduce Holiday Stress

As wonderful as the holidays are, they can come with extra stress and anxiety.

Our schedules are fuller with special programs at school, parties with friends, gatherings with family, get-togethers with co-workers, and extra opportunities assisting those in need. Not to mention all the holiday decorating, traditional baking, and shopping for gifts.

If you feel a bit overwhelmed this season, you aren’t alone. My clients and I are also feeling the holiday pressure. However, you can do a few things to feel more in control and, therefore, enjoy the holidays more.

3 Ways To Reduce Holiday Stress

1. Take some deep breaths.

When you start to feel your stress level rise, nothing works faster than taking a moment to do some deep breathing. It can immediately lower your heart rate, calm the brain, relax the body, and decrease hormone levels. All you have to do is close your eyes, inhale through your nose, fill up your lungs with as much air as possible, and slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat this a few times. Doing some deep breathing doesn’t take long, but the benefit can help you the whole holiday season.

2. Get your to-do’s organized.

When the list of things you need to get done is overwhelming, you have to organize yourself. Take all those to-do’s swimming around in your head and put them on paper. Dump them all. This will help you feel like your list is achievable and decrease your anxiety. For more on how to best organize your to-do list, see my article 5 Steps To Get Holidays To-Do’s More Organized.

3. Schedule time to work out and relax.

No matter how long your to-do list is, you can still make time to get a good workout done and relax for a bit. You can’t afford not to take care of yourself. Workouts might have to be shorter or different than what you usually do. This is okay. Remember this change is temporary. You can still get a good workout done in 10 minutes. Simply taking a walk can be a good break from all that is happening. And of course, be sure to just relax a little. Read a book, watch a holiday show, or talk with a friend—all ways to recharge yourself this holiday season.

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