Dealing With Stress: A Holiday Edition

Are you ready for more advice on how to reduce stress this holiday season? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Well don’t worry - this is not going to be another cheery, oh just breath through it, article about surviving the holidays. We all know there is stress, too many gifts to buy, too much alcohol, too much food and too much family induced anxiety this time of year. Unless you go live in a cave, you aren’t going to avoid this. So stop trying.

Speaking of which, maybe I’ll just book a vacation to the Mayan ruins for the month of December.

Hold on a minute . . .

Ok, my ticket is booked. Now back to YOUR end of the year survival plan.
Nix The Attitude Of Magnitude

Actually, I’m kinda tired of everyone talking about how to survive the holidays. Aren't you? To read the articles we will be assaulted with over the coming weeks, you would think the end of the world was nigh (well, maybe it is if the Mayans had it right). Seriously, why do we make such a big deal of the holidays and all the stress that comes with them?

Oh right, we all suffer from the “attitude of magnitude”. This is a phenomenon I have noticed of late in which people talk as if their world is coming to end, even if they simply have a hangnail.

Now before you think I’m getting all-judgmental on you (or have been taking cranky lessons from Scrooge), let me confess that I discovered this phenomenon when I saw it in myself. Business had gotten a tad slow and I started dusting off the resume. Then there was the client whose doctor insisted she come in to discuss a bone scan. She became convinced she had leukemia. (She didn’t). Writers warn of doom when the in laws walk in the door on Thanksgiving. Sure its uncomfortable, but it’s only a day or two.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we dramatize?

In part, it’s human nature to compare our woes. It gives us comfort and makes us feel part of something bigger.

To make matters worse, I believe the internet has given us a big ol’ magnifying glass that makes all of this holiday stress stuff appear bigger than it is. The open forum of the internet allows us to rant on Facebook, Twitter and our personal blogs about how much we have to do, how much we have to cook, how many gifts we have to buy, how we hate Uncle Bert, and on and on. We now all have a soapbox from which to air our frustrations and anxiety, amplifying this supposed problem we have.

Why can’t we just be happy to be alive? Seriously, we can choose how we feel. Why don’t we exercise that choice? Ok, that’s the subject of a different article, but it’s valid question for you to contemplate as the year winds to an end.
Unsolicited, Slightly Cynical, Holiday Stress-Busting Advice

So here’s my unsolicited holiday advice borne out of the desire to see us all get back to what really matters this time of year - love.

Get off the internet – except for Chronic Wellness Coaching of course.

Put down the magazines.

Turn off the TV. And the radio for that matter.

Get away from the hype.

Drink homemade bone broth regularly to keep you grounded.

Indulge in this healthy eggnog latte.

Raw Eggnog Latte
2 1/4 cups almond milk (unsweetened, homemade preferred)
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours or overnight
1/2 cup pitted dates, soaked for 15 minutes
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup of Dandy Blend powder (optional for the latte flavor)

Blend until smooth. Garnish with ground cinnamon.

Volunteer at a homeless shelter.

Buy a holiday meal and deliver it to someone anonymously.

Meditate everyday.

Stop focusing on what you don’t have.

Cure your disease to please - if your in-laws don't accept you by now, the "perfect" gift won't change their mind.

Host an orphan dinner.

Make a list of 10 things you are grateful for. Everyday. (Share them in the comments below).

Throw away the magnifying glass.

Adopt a positive outlook, love your neighbor, and take up yoga. Remember - one interpretation of the Mayan “prediction” is that 2012 will ring in a new consciousness. If we all shift our thoughts, we will prove the skeptics wrong.

So what are your stress-free holiday survival tips?