How to Handle Holiday Stress
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Americans have nearly as many sources of stress as we have places to holiday shop -- from cell phone use to job worries and family issues. And the holidays can be a particularly stressful time of year for many, as we try to juggle the complicated reality of life with our idealized image of what the holidays should be.

"Stress can lead to feelings of fatigue, helplessness, or even hopelessness and depression," says Dr. Robert Berkow, editor in chief of Your Health Now, a consumer health magazine published by Merck & Co., Inc. "Studies have shown that people under a heavy burden of stress are also more likely to get sick."

It is important that people experiencing symptoms of stress know that it can be managed. Here are some of the most reliable, proven and effective ways to handle situations that may cause you stress:

* Push past procrastination. Avoiding tasks that are unpleasant or for which you feel incompetent simply creates more stress - a vicious circle. Still having failure to launch? Make a list of what you need to do and start with the easiest item, so you don't feel you're heading into a massive undertaking.

* Be assertive. Sometimes we get in over our heads because we don't feel able to say no when the boss asks us to take on more responsibility or the local charity asks for leadership. But there's often more room for negotiation than you might think.

* Put your rage in writing. Getting your feelings down on paper reduces their intensity and can help you gain a calmer perspective. When you're finished writing, tear up the paper and throw it away. The key is that no one will ever see it, which allows you to put down things that you wouldn't write otherwise.

* Revel in relaxation. There are many techniques: Guided imagery is a technique in which a CD provides a recorded voice to take you on an imaginary journey to tranquil settings. You'll be asked to engage different pleasant sensations as you imagine sights, sounds and people. At the Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute in Ohio, surgical patients are given guided imagery CDs to listen to before -- and even during -- their operations. Such recordings ease stress and are linked with fewer complications, faster recovery and less pain.

Progressive muscle relaxation involves slowly tensing and then releasing muscle groups one at a time, starting with the muscles in the toes and finishing with those in the head.

Popular forms of meditation in the United States include transcendental meditation (repeating a mantra, a single word or phrase) and mindfulness mediation (focusing your attention on moment-by-moment thoughts and sensations).

Other techniques worth trying: yoga, massage, spending time at a spa or taking a vacation.

* Laugh a little. Humor usually involves interacting with friends and family or recalling times when you were with others - and research suggests that having a good social network helps to take the edge off tension.

* Seek a skilled counselor. To really clarify what's stressing you and get help to modify your responses, talk with a social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist or minister.

To learn more about the effects of stress and other health conditions, visit YourHealthNow.com. To sign up for a free subscription to this bi-monthly consumer health magazine, call (888) MERCK-38 (888-637-2538). Merck publishes Your Health Now as a free service to the community.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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