Love ’em or hate ’em the holidays are in full swing! It’s easy to understand why we feel stress this time of year, routines are thrown out the window, calorie-laden food and drink are lurking around every corner and budgets are stressed to the max. On top of that we might have to spend time with people we take pain to avoid. Yup, that will do it for most of us, create stress!

These holiday stress tips may not take away all of the angst you experience at the thought of visiting “Aunt Jenny’s” or the agony of the company holiday party but it may help keep your blood pressure in check and apologies owed to a minimum.

6 EASY Holiday Stress Tips

Prioritize Your Health

Too much food and not enough exercise not only leads to weight gain but a poor sense of well being. It’s typically a time of year when we indulge in foods that aren’t normally part of our diet causing physical reactions ranging from minor gas to major intestinal distress. Exercise produces endorphins produce a positive sense of well being furthermore a good workout can produce a feeling of euphoria.

Between the holiday get-togethers and tight schedule see if you can pick a few days to maintain a normal eating or workout routine. Cheat on your routines a little not for days or weeks on end.

If you missed these posts on healthy holiday eating or maintaining your holiday fitness routine check them

Breathe

No seriously breathe! Have you ever been in a stressful situation, taken a deep breath and suddenly felt differently? There are tons of studies that show us that most of us don’t fully use our capacity to breath and that when we do our bodies get all sorts of benefits.

The holidays can be a great tip to try a little diaphragmatic breathing or you may have heard the term belly breathing. Sit or lay comfortably with your hand gently  on your stomach. Breath in through your nose for a count of 5 as you do let your stomach fill up with air and you should feel it pushing against your hand. Hold your breath for a count of 20 seconds. Then over a count of 10 seconds blow the air out starting from the stomach while feeling like you are squeezing your belly button back to your spine.

Music

Music has a unique link to our emotions and can be a very soothing stress management tool. Put on some of your favorite tunes maybe a little dance around the kitchen to kick up those exercise endorphins.

Essential Oils

Cultures all over the world have used essential oils to improve health and well being for thousands of years.  Frankincense has a rich, deep, warm sweet smell with incense like overtones. It was one of the gifts the Wise Men gave to Baby Jesus.  Today it can help you with some of the digestive issues associated with the season or can be diffused in to relieve stress and anxiety.

Lavender is often called the “Swiss Army Knife of Oils”. Its sweet floral sense is great in a bath mixed with Epsom salts or diffused on the pillow for a good nights sleep.

Essential oils have a renewed popularity today but not all oils are created equally. Dr. Paul Cox is the World Famous Ethnobotanist who is responsible for creating Epoch Essential Oils. This is my favorite and most relaxing of the holiday stress tips.

Plan Ahead

Back in my corporate days, we had a team saying “poor planning on your part does not dictate an emergency on my part”. Sit down on Sunday and calendar all of your commitments then revise daily if needed. It’s often best for me to ask myself is this a Have To do or a Like To do?

Stick to a Budget

Doing for others is part of the joy of the season but breaking the bank isn’t good for your long-term stress levels. Set limits and stick to them. Use the internet to shop or make creative gifts from the heart.  The video below is full of ideas that say I was thinking of you and are budget friendly. Furthermore, you don’t have to be super creative and best of all will take just a few minutes.

If you want more healthy tips, join me every Tuesday at 6 pm PST on FBlive or subscribe to my Youtube channel.

What are your favorite holiday stress tips? Comment down below.

IF this was helpful, feel free to share!

CJ Johnson’s Fitness Transformation Blog
Train Smart · Live Bold · Age Well

Email: CJ@agewellwithcj.com
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