Feeling Overwhelmed? Simple Steps to Peace

December is the Month of Many Stressors (yes, I'm officially dubbing it that right now)! The holiday season, wonderful as it is, can throw a wrench into everything you've already got going on. Here are some of the ways that can happen:

Job Stress
Job stress is a year-round reality for most people, but the holiday season can make a busy schedule busier, which can impact the stress you feel at work by preoccupying you with thoughts of how to get it all done. Additionally, if the rest of the office is also having trouble focusing, the whole group may be less productive, or more stressed. And those office holiday parties that are so much fun are also often mandatory add-ons to an already-packed holiday schedule.

Financial Stress
When money's tight, as it is with so many families facing a financial crisis this year, the holiday season can add huge additional strain. Many people go into holiday debt during years when they are comfortable financially, but this can be an even bigger worry during years where there's little to spare. Lowering kids' expectations can be difficult and hard on everyone, and the whole situation can bring to the surface underlying stresses people experience regarding money. Finding cheap holiday gifts is a must!

Relationship Stress
Getting together with family and friends is one of the highlights of the holidays, but it can be rough, too. Seeing family, especially family members you love but rarely interact with, can trigger uncomfortable feelings of revertigo and bring up old family conflicts. Conversely, if you don't have people like this to see, you may experience holiday loneliness, which is a stressor in itself.

Fun Times
Even the excitement of the holidays--the cards, the parties, those things we look forward to and enjoy--present a type of stress (eustress) that can add to our overall stress levels and make us feel depleted.

There are other ways the holiday season can impact your stress levels, but you get the idea. That's why it's especially important to have some stress relievers to use during the holiday season. It's generally most effective to have two types of stress relievers:

1. Those that relieve tension in your body, to reverse your fight or flight response
2. Those that manage mental and emotional stress and impact the way you perceive your stressors, so that they don't get to you so much and trigger your stress response in the first place.

After using these stress relief strategies (linked above), you can work on changing what's stressing you in the first place, but it's important to be able to minimize the effects of stress first. You can get additional help by subscribing to the Stress Management Newsletter, a free weekly resource that keeps you updated on the latest research as well as polls, quizzes, forum posts and articles on stress relief.