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Holiday Stress Relief
December 17, 2007
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While the Christmas season may have you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, for some
it’s the most stressful time of year. Ft. Myers resident Amy Pits says her family and friends also feel the holiday pressure. “I don’t want to put more stress on
my friends and family by them having to go buy things for me that I don’t really
need.” But others say they don’t see what all the fuss is about. “I don’t see why
people get stressed. I make my list. I go to the store. I buy gifts if I can afford
to buy them but if I can’t I say sorry and that’s it,” says Sueay Buins. But for
many people having a stress free holiday is just not that simple. Ann McCarty believes
that most people do put more pressure on themselves this time of year. “It’s you
know the expectation of it being happy and wonderful and it doesn’t always work
that way,” says the Cape Coral resident. Michael Spellman is a licensed Psychologist
with Lee Memorial Health System. He says, “The holidays are upon us as joyful as
they can be, they can also bring their various stresses. We have to remember that
stress is not just something icky that is happening. Stress is anytime we have an
overload.” Spellman reminds people to strive for balance when it comes to handling
an overload of holiday hassles. “If we’re going to add those extra time demands
with things like shopping and meal preparation and picking people up from the airport
to stop and wonder okay what am I offloading? I just loaded on ten more hours, where
are those ten hours coming from?” Psychologists say while you may be visiting with
relatives, you should steer clear of working out family conflicts this time of year.
It’s best to do that when you’re not under the time pressures of the holiday season. Other stress relievers include making sure you get enough sleep, eat a balanced
diet and try relaxing activities like yoga or mediation.
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