Stress can come from your family, from your kids, from work responsibilities, or from added activities that you place on your own shoulders. Some stress is internal, and can be controlled by daily practices such as meditation, rest, journaling or active communication. Other stress comes from external sources and needs to be dealt with by figuring out active strategies to prevent these added sources of stress from overtaking your life.

Yes, as we see, stress is a part of everyone’s life and cannot be avoided entirely, but by making a few simple choices, you can easily reduce the level of stress in your life and deal with stress once and for all.

Start by doing an inventory of all the added stressors in your life. Try to pinpoint where your own personal stress is coming from. Once you have made your list, begin to target each stressor one by one, to actively find a way to remove it from your life or to find an way to deal with stress specifically.

Do you have to take too many stressful phone calls throughout the day? If so, designate a specific time of day where you will return all your calls, and allow yourself to remain focused at work.

Does your partner or spouse pick fights at home? Schedule some time to sit down and communicate your issues once a week, allowing the rest of the week to be stress free!

Make a list of things that bring joy into your life. Is it taking walks, relaxing with friends, catching up on reading? The more positive energy you bring into your life, the more your stress level will decrease.

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Many people expect that the holidays have to be perfect, they may run themselves ragged day in and day out trying to create the spot on holiday experience. The first thing to realize is that your holiday does not have to be perfect.

Confronting your ideas about holiday perfection is a great way to begin the process of dealing with holiday stress.  If you and your family are already feeling stressed out by the holiday season, there are a few things you can do to reduce that level of stress and make your holiday season a happier one.

The first thing you can do when dealing with stress around the holidays is to prepare for the situation you might be entering into. If you have known stressors during this season, huge meals to plan, or family members visiting that cause you negativity, take some time to relax. Make sure that in the midst of the hustle and bustle you get to take some “you” time.

If some holiday event does not go as planned, know that it is OK. There is no use getting frustrated with yourself during the holiday season.

Many people create undue stress for themselves when planning gifts for others. Remind yourself that whatever you give will be perfect. For most people, just the thought that someone is thinking about them enough to give them something is what really matters.

To deal with stress of the holidays, you must prepare yourself. There are many built in stressors lurking out there, like extra food and drinks, or not enough sleep. Know that this time, like many other difficult times of the year, you need to make sure to give your body what it needs.

Make sure to eat healthy when you can, which will allow you to enjoy holiday meals with family. Make sure to exercise regularly, which is known to reduce your stress levels dramatically. Make sure you are sleeping enough every night. Practice saying “no” when you have over extended yourself.

Yes, the holidays can be trying times, but times that will be filled with love, happiness and fun. Just double check that you deal with stress before it gets the better of you, and you will be well on your way to a happy holiday season!

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