Holiday Stress Relief Tips: It's All in the Attitude, Baby!

Stress relief tips for the holidays can make the difference between creating a merry Christmas in your home, or creating the nightmare before Christmas in your home. Stress is a state of mind or, in other words, an attitude. Ultimately, you are the one who controls your attitude. With the right state of mind, you can turn holiday stress into holiday cheer.

Try following this easy, do it yourself stress relief plan to create a positive state of mind during the holiday season. Don't worry about time or money- you can do this anytime, anywhere and there's no monetary expenditure.

First, figure out what kind of attitude you'd ideally like to have. What's the key word? Harmony? Laughter? Quiet? Peaceful? Fun? Pinpoint your ideal sate of mind.

Now that you know what your goal is, keep your eye on the prize. If you want harmony, work toward that. When you feel yourself veering off that path, stop and get back on track. Again, you are the one who controls your attitude. If you think that's easier said than done, please, read on.

It's helpful to develop a mantra or affirmation. (A mantra is a simple sentence that reminds you of, and helps you move toward, your goal.) For example, if your goal is harmony, a good mantra would be "I will live in harmony." Every time you feel stressed, say out loud or to yourself, "I will live in harmony."

Mantras need to be stated in the affirmative. For example, if you say, "I won't get stressed," the brain picks up on the word stressed, and that's what you're in tune with. Conversely, if you say, "I will live in harmony," your brain picks up on 'harmony' and that's what you become in tune with.

You may have to tinker with your mantra a bit initially, but you'll soon find that you've hit on something that's both soothing and motivational.

Now that we've worked on state of mind, what can you do to reduce the stress associated with worldly demands?

Don't over-schedule. One of the main reasons for stress is overestimating what you can accomplish and then berating yourself for falling short of inflated expectations.

Prioritize. Take a look at what's most important in a given situation. If you know that you probably can't accomplish "both", choose one. For example, if you're having people over for a holiday get-together, is the priority spending quality time with those people, or preparing a gourmet five-course meal?

Cry "Uncle!". If a holiday task is absolutely too much for you, that's telling you something. For example, if the thought of making Christmas cookies and cleaning the kitchen afterward stresses you out, consider an alternative like buying cookies or preparing a holiday treat that's easier to make. Other option in the "Cry Uncle!" category are: delegate, cut it from the list, and outsource it by paying someone to do it for you.

Take time to pamper yourself. Pampering yourself can be as simple as lighting a scented aromatherapy candle while you're doing your chores, or playing your favorite music to lift your spirits.

Meditate, pray, reflect. However you get in touch with your spiritual side, take time to emotionally regroup.

These simple do it yourself stress relief tips for the holidays will make all the difference in your world!