Try: Hugging Away Holiday Stress
By Renee Pletka, Holistic Health + Eating Psychology Coach
While the holidays can bring abundant joy, they can also trigger tremendous stress.
Jam-packed stores, perfect-gift hunting, travel delays, overindulgence, kitchen bickering, family conflicts, unmet expectations and more all lead to stress, anxiety, tension and not-so-merry moods.
I have a foolproof remedy for busting holiday stress that's fast, easy and super-duper effective:
Hug it out.
That's right.
Hug. It. Out.
Instead of squabbling, snapping or snarling, give your partner, kiddo, sister, mom or brother-in-law a big ol' hug. Doing so will immediately dissolve any stress, tension, anxiety and grumpiness.
Photo by Gus Moretta
In fact, hugging decreases cortisol (your fight-or-flight stress hormone), lowers blood pressure, and releases oxytocin (your bonding and trust-building hormone).
I've personally tested this stress buster numerous times and know firsthand that it truly works not only during the holidays, but every day of the year.
Give it a whirl. You have nothing to lose, except your cranky pants!