Holiday Survival Guide – 6
8) Take A Break!
With everything that’s going on during the holiday season, it’s important to make some time for yourself to relax. Whether it’s stopping at the corner Cafe for a cup of Joe, treating yourself to a non-holiday themed movie, or setting down to a peaceful bite to eat, doing just one small thing to take yourself away from the stresses of the holiday season can be a very helpful mental sigh of relief! 
In fact, using some very basic relaxation breathing techniques will aid you in releasing stress. Stop whatever it is you’re doing, close your eyes, and take in a few deep, cleansing, breaths. You will find this to be very soothing in times of high stress. As the body takes in more oxygen, it reduces the amount of stress hormonal releases within the body. Thereby, reducing the physical feelings of stress. If you have time in your busy day, go home and take a short, restful nap. This can help to “recharge” your mental batteries. You could even end your day with a sweet-smelling, muscle relaxing, steamy bath. Light some candles, shut and lock out the world, and retreat to the most private room in your home! Don’t have time for a bath? Then how about a nice, hot, cup of chamomile tea? Use whatever common stress-busters work best for you. Just make sure you set aside some time to DO them over the course of the holi-days 🙂
9) Be Budget Conscious
A very common occurrence with many people during the holidays is the problem of overspending. Of course everyone wants to make those they care for as happy as possible by getting them their every whim. But this just isn’t realistic. Especially with the rising costs that surround our life. If you haven’t set a clear-cut budget for your holiday spending, DO IT! Not only that, but you MUST STICK WITH IT. Spending more than what you have is easy to do. And those that have an extensive line of credit, it becomes even easier to go over budget. An important fact to keep in your mind is that just because the money is available to you doesn’t mean you HAVE to spend it. Even Santa makes a list and checks it twice 🙂 You should do the same. And, if you have a big list of gifts that must be bought, why not try using the good old “hat trick”! Write down each persons name on a small scrap of paper and put it inside a hat. Have each family member then select one of the paper scraps. This will be the person they must buy a gift for. That will in turn spread about the shopping responsibility throughout the family and reduce the amount of stress on you.
10) Don’t Be Afraid To Say No
It’s hard to tell someone you care about this word isn’t it? And that’s completely understandable. No one wants to look into the hopeful eyes of a loved one and say this word. Or to be looked upon as the “bad guy”. You may feel as if you are letting them down, or making them unhappy by saying no. But at times, you MUST. Otherwise you could create more stress for yourself either by having an added responsibility to provide that person with whatever it is they asked of you, or by trying to attain it and being unsuccessful. Either way, simply using this one word can save yourself tons of unwanted stress during the holiday season.