Tips to De-Stress Before and During the Holiday Season

The holidays are a time to spend with family and friends. Unfortunately it can be anything but relaxing, especially if you are hosting dinners or parties. Here are a few tips to help you reduce the stress of what are supposed to be happy moments.

The holiday season is usually happiest for the participants and not the host or hostess. But, you can change that this year. When you feel the tenseness creeping up your body:

1. Practice breathing exercises. You’d be amazed how much this works. The brain needs oxygen; in fact it needs 20% more oxygen than the rest of your body. Deep breathing increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, allowing you to think more clearly. That seating arrangement problem for Thanksgiving dinner will seem to solve itself. [Read more...]

De-stress with Music and Dancing

What do you do to combat your stress? Taking a vacation may not be in the cards, but you can still escape from it all. Turn on the radio and shake your booty.

Music is a series of notes strung together to make pleasurable sounds. What one person finds pleasurable could sound like nails on the chalkboard to another. The best thing about music is that there is something for everyone. From hard rock to instrumental and everything in between, music is enjoyed by young and the young at heart.

We often attach memories to music—the first time we fall in love, our first dance, or a happy holiday. Music surrounds our life and listening to tunes that conjure up pleasant memories tends to relax us. If you don’t believe me, listen to some music that was popular when you were growing up. [Read more...]