3 Ways to Avoid Holiday Stress this Season

Where does the time go? We've all found ourselves in this situation, wondering what happened. How is it that 2019 is nearly coming to a close already, with the holidays upon us.

If it seems as if time is moving faster, it might be! Here is an excellent article that gives some theories about this. In the meantime, how do you avoid getting totally stressed and burned out this holiday season?

Here are some tips:

1. Stop and breathe. Try this breathing exercise to calm the nerves and quiet the mind. The key is to exhale longer than you inhale. Breathe in for a count of two, hold a beat, exhale for a count of four, hold a beat, and repeat until you are no longer ready to run out into the street screaming, as the long line in front of you appears to be going nowhere fast and you're already late for your next appointment!

2. Schedule in breathing room. Don't plan to run from one place to the next without a break. We all have busy schedules, but who ultimately controls those schedules? We ourselves do! Put your foot down and say no, or set your own time for what is most convenient for you. And make sure you are doing what you actually want to be doing, and not what you feel you should be doing. Even doing a favor you really don't want to do because somebody close to you or someone in authority asked you to can wreak havoc on your body, mind and spirit. Why? Because you are not being true to yourself and you down-deep secretly resent having to do it. Resentment is a powerful emotion that you don't want stored in your body! Learn to say no.

3. Take 10 minutes in the morning to start your day right with prayer, meditation or EFT.

This will start your day on the right foot and actually save you time in the long run, because you will end up doing everything in a more peaceful, fully in-the-moment manner.