Work doesn’t stop and neither does holiday shopping these days. The extended hours. The rush to get things done. The added family to visit or to host. And, the financial pressure to outdo last year. It is all upon us as we head into the final shopping weekend before the Christmas holiday.

How do you handle the stress and keep your sanity? Well, I have 5 tips to keep your spirits in check over this weekend and on the days leading up to Christmas. Also, don’t forget to register for my Live Webinar on Stress. It’s January 6th. Here’s more info: https://thejoyofliving.co/live-webinar/

1. Drink water. Seriously! Are your problems and stress going to go away by drinking water? Nope. But it does add oxygen into the blood stream and the motion of drinking water helps to slow you down and think before acting. The more you sip the water, the more time you have to process what is going on.

2. Breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose three times in a row. We typically blow air out of our mouths. By reversing the cycle, we are changing patterns in our brain. We have to focus on this change, and therefore we take the attention off of our issues and we place it on corrective breathing.

3. Holiday music. Some people hate it, they said it adds stress to their day. Well, holiday music tends to be upbeat and this changes the brain waves and puts you in a better mood. If you truly despise it, put on your favorite artist. Music does make one feel better and less stressed.

4. Eat something healthy. Part of our stress this time of year is impacted by eating foods that we know will add to our waistline, which puts more pressure on us to “lose the weight” in 2016. If you forgive yourself for cookie moments and add in a healthy snack during your shopping trip, you will feel better about yourself and you won’t have added weight stress. Plus, healthy foods contain loads of vitamins, which can help boost your mood- especially vitamin B12.

5. Designate a stop time before you start. Don’t get so involved in the doing that you forget to afford yourself some me time. If you’re going shopping, set a time for yourself to stop before you leave your house. Don’t feel like you need to get everything done in one day or one weekend. Most stores are open all the way up to Christmas morning. Set up a game plan and then a stop time. Allow yourself at least an hour of me time or veg-out-on-the-couch time every single day up and until Christmas.

Until next time,

Happy Holidays!