The holidays are upon us and it should be a very joyful time of year. But, CNN reported some 45 percent of those polled said the holiday season brings so much pressure, they would prefer to skip it altogether. Almost half said their level of stress that relates to holiday expenses is high or extremely high. 

Stress. It's so powerful and prevalent in our lives. With the challenging times that we are in, so many have given up the ways they used to cope with it ~ recent reports showed that yoga class attendance is down, massage practice appointments are fewer and tension higher at work and in the home.

You don't have to GIVE UP altogether to counter your stress.  In fact, that feeling of deprivation will only make your stress worse. Some of my own savvy clients have figured out that INSTEAD OF GIVING UP they simply do things fewer times.  And then, REPLACE the time that they typically come with SOMETHING ELSE.

They go for a walk, yoga or stretching at home, do their own 'self-spa treatment' at home or read a relaxing book in piece and quiet. Instead of coming twice a month, they are coming once a month. Instead of coming once a month, they are coming once a season. BUT, the key is they are still honoring themselves by NOT giving UP the time they had devoted to self care and stress relief....

They are simply re-arranging their approach and for this they feel empowered and are able to manage their stress levels!

What are you doing to manage your stress levels? Can you think of alternatives to help? If you need some tips around that, give me a call, I can walk you through some thoughts in less than 5 minutes!