The holidays are a time for joy and celebrating, visiting with family and eating – but the holidays are also a time for high stress levels for a lot of people. People may become stressed during the holidays for a number of reasons: gift giving and financial stress, dealing with a hectic schedule, and dealing with potential issues with the whole family being in close quarters.

Here are some tips to help you to reduce your stressors this holiday season:

• First and foremost, remind yourself that there is condition to be perfect. Even if things go wrong, learning to go with the flow and laugh at any hang-ups will reduce stress greatly.


• Avoid surprises. Ask family members to plan ahead instead of popping by unexpected. Knowing when people are coming will help you to feel in control of the situation and your schedule.


• Don’t give up your favorite activities. If you enjoy a certain weekly or daily activity, make a point to continue attending. This will help you with feelings of normalcy during this time of year.


• If you can, attend some light exercise activity classes. Moving your body helps to lower stress, and will have you feeling better.


• Take care of yourself. Make time for a quiet bath, or even just some alone time to reflect and take a breather. It can be so easy to get caught up in the festivities and to forget to take time for yourself.

During this busy time of year, it is important to identify your stressors and to allow yourself the opportunity to deal with them. Quite often the holidays can be a sore point for those with high stress levels – follow these tips to keep your holiday stress under control.