1. Take a breath

No, you don’t have to take up meditation. But even stopping for two or three breaths when you start to feel stressed can help bring down your anxiety levels. Take time to chill out on front of the fire with a warm drink and maybe take in a nice Christmas movie.

2. Plan fewer activities

There are a million and one things to do over Christmas. If you try to do them all, though, you’ll find that they stop being fun and become stressful instead. So pick a few things, maybe the ones you’re most excited about or the ones you think your family will love, and do only those. If you want to do something more, there’s always next year. Limiting the number of things you commit to will reduce your stress.

3. Play music

Whether you love traditional Christmas music or not, it’s likely you can find something that is both in the Christmas spirit and that reduces your stress levels. You may not want to keep it on all the time, but finding a way to incorporate Christmas music into your daily life should not only get you a little more into the Christmas spirit, but can also help you feel more relaxed and excited about the season.

4. Take some time off

Depending on your job, taking time off right around Christmas can be almost impossible. But if you have the vacation days, it’s worth taking a few sometime during the season to make time to relax. If nothing else, use a couple of annual leave days just to get stuff done. That way, you don’t have to fit everything in around work and the rest of your hectic Christmas schedule.

5. Make time to exercise

When you’re running around like crazy, fitting in exercise can feel like just one more difficult thing you have to do. Since exercise reduces stress, though, it may be one of the most important things that you do this Christmas season. You don’t have to find time for a killer gym workout, either. A 20-30 minute walk, even on a treadmill, will do you good. Make exercise a habit during Christmas, and beat some of the stress that comes with the season.

6. Get outside

Unfortunately, one of the most stressful times of the year goes hand in hand with one of the darkest times of the year. This is important because time spent out in natural light helps the body produce vitamin D, which is key to helping us deal with stress. Whenever possible, spend a few minutes each day outside. And, as we all know, there is nothing like coming from the cold outdoors into a nice warm home.

Happy Christmas to all & a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year.