Holiday Stress: 20+ Great Seasonal Soothers for November-December
By award-winning author and stress-relief expert Susie Mantell
Winter bustles with list-making, mall-crawling, web-surfing. Then, the delicious sigh of relief as the last ribbon is curled. It*s wonderful. But balancing personal needs with year-end responsibilities, can create over-the-top stress levels that challenge even the jolliest among us, and the most *functional* of families. In today*s complex times we can choose to make this holiday season about what*s broken. . .or what we can create. If this holiday season finds you Not-So-Very-Merry, try these stress-relief strategies to replenish a weary spirit.
November-December Seasonal Soothers
1. Simplify. Organize a Pre-Holiday *To Do* Timeline.
2. Hint: Save it.
3. Browse catalogs and websites early.
4. Wrap-As-You-Shop. Wrap with a friend. (Or, shop where THEY wrap.)
5. Swap baby-sitting with friends to shop *hands-fre e.* Bring home a treat for the sitter.
6. Consider January sal es. Wrap a photo or toy version in a fancy box with an I.O.U. (Then, be sure to do it.)
7. Deck the Halls. (Okay, deck 1 Hall. )
8. Prioritize. How could you simplify (or eliminate,) just one task?
9. Take healthy breaks.
10. Thank 6 people daily, e.g. the mailman, a 1st responder, teachers.
11. Read something that makes you think, feel or grow, every day.
12. Let someone go first at the market just Because.
13. Invite someone to join you for a holiday meal. If they offer to help say, *Sure. . .*
14. Do something you love every day.
15. Organize a girls (or guys) night-out.
16. Eat healthily and exercise. Then, when you splurge enjoy every bite.
17. Far-away friend or loved one? Schedule an uninterrupted catch-up call.
18. Too many plans? Schedule naps, time to read, swim.
19. Too few plans? Invite friends, order-in. Use holiday paper plates. Rent a movie, play a board game. Have everybody bring a wrapped grab-bag gift under $10.
20. Make tea dates. Just a few minutes with someone you really like is a terrific stress-buster.
21. Make one new friend this holiday season.
22. January 2nd start a Next-Holidays-Savings Account. Auto-transfer weekly.
23. If you find yourself alone plan a getaway, join a choral group, donate your services.
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Award-winning stress-relief expert Susie Mantell ...is the author of the deeply soothing relaxation CD, "Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace,” clinically approved for symptoms associated with stress and sleeplessness, depression and grief, anxiety, P.T.S.D., Fibromyalgia, caregiver stress, cancer, pain, divorce and addiction recovery. Featured in The Los Angeles Times, NBC, ABC, CBS-TV, Town & Country, The American Pain Society, Hazelden and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, listeners include The Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Betty Ford Center, V.A. Hospitals,and Canyon Ranch (#1 Spa.) Customizing stress-reduction for Fortune 500 companies, distinguished hospitals and spas, Mantell has facilitated thousands in relieving health-related, work-related, chronic or traumatic stress. Her multi-sensory, mind-body techniques appear in national media, medical and corporate publications. Susie Mantell's Stress-Relief & Wellness Tips are intended as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, professional health care. Order “Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace” and find more of Mantell’s stress-relief tips at www.relaxintuit.com