With so much to do during the holiday season, being stressed seems natural, right? Well, you don’t have to be. The holidays are meant to be a time to enjoy life with family and friends, rather than be anxious and feel like you are constantly under pressure to be everything to everyone. The first step to stressing less is realization. Then, you can take the action necessary to help yourself feel better.

With these tips, you’ll be on your way to stressing less and having fun this holiday season.

1. Get your vitamin D with sunlight – Vitamin D helps lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugar levels, promote a healthy immune system, and more! Although you can get your vitamin D with a supplement, the sun stimulates the production of feel-good serotonin and also helps relieve seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which impacts millions of Americans every year.
2. Exercise your heart – Even if you have to cut your gym time in half, it’s still time that you are doing something good for your body. Another great option is walking. Nutrition and wellness expert, Ann Kulze, MD, says, “Walking has a tranquilizing effect on your brain, and it decreases anxiety and improves sleep. Aim for a thirty minute walk every day.”
3. Turn up the tunes – If you are feeling anxious, listen to your favorite music. Research from the University of Maryland shows that hearing music you love can relax blood vessels and increase blood flow.
4. Give yourself “me” time – Whatever you love to do, whether it be yoga, reading, writing in your journal, etc., set aside a few minutes a day for a well-deserved break before you get back to your to-do list.
5. Clean up a little – Eliminate your mental clutter by organizing the physical clutter that’s around you. The important thing to remember is that this doesn’t have to take long. Simply set aside a few minutes to take out the garbage, organize your mail, etc.
6. Learn to say “No” – During the holidays, it’s easy to want to be everything to everyone around you. However, it’s important to know your limits, and say “no” when needed in order to take care of yourself.
7. Take a power nap – Taking a mid-day nap will lower your stress hormone levels. In fact, studies have shown that a 20-minute mid-day nap provides more rest than staying in bed an extra 20 minutes in the morning.

These tips can help get you started, but we’d love to hear if you have anything new to add to the mix. Please share your tips by posting a comment below.