Preventing Holiday Stress by John Riddle

"Preventing Holiday Stress"

by John Riddle, Contributing Author

The holiday season is here, and if you listen carefully you'll hear more than just the sounds of "Silent Night" playing in the background at your local mall. Those other sounds you hear are the cries of stressed out shoppers, parents, sales clerks and children, who are overdosing on sweets and other holiday goodies.

But things don't have to be that way in your house. You can nip the stress beast in the bud and prevent it from attacking you and your loved ones. It takes a little common sense followed by a large dose of patience. Follow these tips to help prevent holiday stress from ruining the most wonderful time of the year for you and your family:

· The Right Attitude - Face it, with the wrong attitude, a trip to the mall or to cut down the Christmas tree can be disastrous. Everyone needs to have an attitude check at this time of the year, because with the right attitude, people are cooperative and respectful of each other. Parents should set a good example for their children by having the right attitude throughout the holiday season (and it wouldn't hurt to continue that tradition throughout the rest of the year, either).

· Be Flexible - The most common reason people become stressed around the holidays is because their expectations are not met. They thought the holiday meal with all of the relatives wouldn't end up with people arguing. Or they thought that their children would behave and stay happy while being dragged to marathon shopping trips to the malls and outlet stores. Flexibility is the key. When you are flexible, you realize that not everything will always turn out the way you hoped it would. When you are flexible, you realize that if things turn out differently, it's not the end of the world. And when you are flexible, you don't become stressed.

· Eat Right - It's not surprising that the average weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day is 6 to 12 pounds. The holiday season is stressful enough without eating all of the wrong foods. At this time of the year people tend to eat more because they are going out more. Try and limit the amount of calories you consume at a party or holiday meal. Have plenty of lower-fat, lower calorie choices available such as raw vegetables and pretzels with fat-free yogurt-based dips or salsa-based dips. Offer fruit along with other desserts for a fat-free choice. Plan at least one healthy meal as a family everyday. And when visiting the mall, don't overdose on too many goodies.

· Children and Routines - If you have small children in the family, you know how their routines will be disrupted over the holidays. The next time you are at the mall take a few moments and study the faces of the parents and their children. Chances are you won't see too many "happy campers." When a child's routine is changed, for example, perhaps you've decided to do away with their afternoon nap and drag them to the mall to sit on Santa's lap, stress can result. They may become cranky, uncooperative, and ruin the trip for everyone. Do your best to keep some sort of order and rituals for your children.

· Get Physical - The best way to ward off a stress attack is by doing some type of physical exercise or activity. Turn off the television, stop playing the video games and get up off the sofa. Find an activity that everyone in the family can enjoy together. Ice skating, walking or even putting in an exercise video and turning your living room into a fun-filled family exercise studio will help keep stress away.

· Take Time to Laugh - Laughter is still the best medicine, and it is a very good way to beat holiday stress. Take time to read the comics, watch a funny movie or video or even write your own jokes. Humor is contagious, too, and when people see you laughing you are actually doing your part to help beat their stress as well.

Don't let this holiday season be a time of stress and unhappiness for you. Embrace the positive aspects of the season, keep the right attitude and always remember to wear a smile on your face. When you do these things, your holidays will be merrier.