5 Tips for Handling Holiday Stress – #3

3. Check your mental baggage

We all have memories from past holidays. A lot of us haul around a hefty load of stress connected to the holidays of the past. According to Mental Health America “memories” account for close to 50% of all the sources of holiday stress. The problem is we don’t realize it. Remember after that one run-in with your mother-in-law, you vowed to never cook a casserole again for the family dinner, yet here you are en route to another one. . . with yet another covered dish and a sour mood.  And some of our New Year’s Eve memories/dates aren’t so magical and joyous as the ‘40s movies portray.  Imagine having mandatory Stress Security Check Points stationed here and there, complete with uniformed guards who would require you to pass through Mental Detectors (no, that’s not a typo.) Imagine being scanned with Attitude Wands (like the ones they use in airports to detect metals and other forbidden objects), only these wands would check for what’s weighing down your mind.

I will be sending out my full article via my e-mail news on Friday.  Don’t yet receive my e-mail newsletter?  Well then, click HERE and enter your e-mail.  You’ll be added as one of my great and devoted readers and will receive an e-mail just about once a month.  Hope you are handling and blessing your holiday stress!