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Getting Your Mood Ready for the Holidays

The holidays can often be stressful if you're not careful, so make sure your mood is ready for some of the potentially frustrating situations you might find yourself in. Here are some tips.

Travel – Long lines, flying, and heavy luggage can all make travel one of the most stressful parts of the holiday season. But luckily there are some ways to reduce travel stress.

• If flying on a plane makes you nervous or uncomfortable, bring a good book or keep some scrapbooking supplies handy to keep your mind off of the plane ride.
• Planes can also be temperamental when it comes to temperature. It seems like when I fly, the plane has just been to Antarctica or we’re flying dangerously close to the sun. Layers are key.
• Hydration is very important on a plane ride. For security reasons you won’t be able to carry any bottled water and you’re not going to want to pay $3 for one at the airport, as if the holidays weren’t expensive enough already. Bring an empty stainless steel water bottle and fill it up at a fountain; good for the environment and your well-being.

Family – At the end of the day, we all love our families, but sometimes you just want to tell to them to go stuff it, and you don’t mean the turkey. Here are some things to keep in mind when dealing with holiday family stress.

• Holiday meals have been romanticized in film and TV for generations. Thanksgiving conjures up images of a perfect, smiling family with no possibility of an argument coming up. Keep in mind; they all get paid to act happy around each other. Don’t feel like you have to meet such an unrealistic standard. But if you find yourself not being able to hold back, kindly excuse yourself from the table and get a breath of fresh air.
• Idle hands are your relatives’ workshop. A moment of boredom is the perfect opportunity for a hot-button issue to arise. Have plenty of fun activities planned to keep everyone occupied.
• Focus on the less fortunate. Organize the family to attend a soup kitchen or a coat drive. It will make everyone appreciate what they have and any arguments seem silly in comparison.

Meals – Cooking can be a huge hassle, but during the holidays it can reach a new extreme. Do yourself a favor and make plenty of cold dishes. That way, you won’t be playing beat-the-clock with the turkey. There’s also no shame in getting some prepared foods from the supermarket. Who doesn’t love cranberry sauce still in the shape of the can? Here are some great and simple recipes for you to try this holiday season, including a roast turkey that only requires 15 minutes of hands-on time!

Have any handy tips on reducing stress during the holidays? Share them in the comments section below.

-Lisa