Thanksgiving Stress-busters

As we all know, the holiday season is almost upon us. Not only does this bring joy, but also stress, anguish and in some cases, depression. What can one do to avoid such negativity and to drink of the happiness nectar of the holiday season?

Give yourself time. Some people get so caught up in the whirl-a-gig momentum of the holidays that their feet never touch the ground. Set your own pace, go to the parties that you want to go to, if you are cooking a big Thanksgiving feast, give yourself full permission to recruit "volunteers" to help with the clean-up.

Keep yourself rested and relaxed. Easier said than done, naturally, but the important thing is to have a go-to strategy: yoga, turning off the "crackberry", putting your feet up on the hassock, a cool compress on the forehead.....

Hydrate, hydrate, and was it mentioned-hydrate? This is a crucial bit of advice which usually flies out of the window at the appearance of the first eggnog or mulled wine. Now, more than ever, keep that (recyclable, right?) bottle of water in your purse and sip,sip, sip, sip throughout the day, throughout the party, throughout the night, etc.

De-stress through defusing. If you know that you are going into a lion's den....don't. Unless you have an angel with a flaming sword to protect you, the stress and heartache is simply not worth it, whether it is a critical mother, inattentive father, loudmouth aunt or bothersome brother, ask yourself: what do you get out of this? Is your relationship any the better for your presence? If the answer is no, then gather together with friends who are really there for you. If that toxic co-worker gets started, walk away. It's the holidays; give yourself a treat.

Vegetables. If you have no other recourse, grab a case of V8 or your Jack Lalane juicer and get to work. Begin and end your day with V8(you can cut it with juice if you like; I use unsweetended apple juice or orange juice); you cannot go wrong and it may well be the one thing that turns out well during the holidays.

Keep up with exercise. Walking groups, yoga, bellydancing, karate, Total Body Sculpt with Gilad: it does not really matter what it is, just keep on schedule and keep moving to promote health and to detoxify the body, especially with rich holiday foods.


Keep sane, keep healthy and keep well during this Thanksgiving season.
May you be healthy, happy and sane during the holiday season! Thank you for your support!