3 Stress-Relieving Tips for Staying Sane During the Holiday Season

3 Stress-Relieving Tips for Staying Sane During the Holiday Season
RISMEDIA, December 2, 2010—According to a recent study by the American Psychological Association, 75% of Americans are stressed out to the max going into this holiday season.

Stress relief expert Lauren E. Miller gives people real tips on how to have more joy and less stress in the midst of the holiday craze.

"Stress is simply a signal within your body giving you an amazing opportunity to identify and adjust your perception of a situation, along with your behavior. We forget that whatever we focus on grows bigger quickly...positive or negative," said Miller, who is the author of Release the Stress ... 5 Minutes to Stress Relief around the Craze of Life at Work and at Home.

Miller suggests three quick tips to help you stay sane in the midst of the insanity:

• Know what you value most in life. When your priorities are clear, decisions are easy. Stress creeps in when you forget what you value most in life. When you spend most of your energy on the "nonessentials" in life you begin to feel depleted very quickly and the stress hormone begins to double. Create moments every day that nurture what you value most in this life and notice how quickly clarity of thinking and inner peace return within your being.

• Let go of this belief: "In order to be loved and accepted I need to be perfect, have the perfect house, tree, job, car, person, family, job, credentials." What is your inner list of requirements in order to feel loved and accepted in life? Let go of your need for certain outcomes around the holidays in order for you to feel good about yourself. Happiness returns when you release the attachments you have in life in order to feel good about you. Remember, joy flows from the inside out, not the outside in. Start loving yourself completely just as you are, right where you are at.

• Breathe, Breathe, Breathe and be present to the "Silent, Holy, Night" that dwells within every moment of life. Give yourself the gap of empowerment that comes when you become the observer of your life verses the reactor. Be a curious and fascinated human being who looks at everything before them as an opportunity for learning and growth. When one door closes, don't waste one moment looking at that closed door, start seeking the open window. Don't miss life; when you worry, doubt and fear, you miss the life standing right in front of your face. When you are present, you will laugh more in life, which has profound physiological benefits, another wonderful gift to give yourself and those around you this season.

Do you have any tips you would like to share?