Welcome to all the new mysilentscream readers who joined us yesterday!

Here are a few holiday stress-busting suggestions:

Take a warm bath or a long relaxing shower.

Take a walk. Bundle up with a buddy and get your body moving.  Walk outside. Look around.

Take a five deep relaxing breaths. Exhale slowly.

Take a nap. Nap – not to hide from your responsibilities, but to retreat, recharge and recover.

Take a break.
– Take a break, even if it’s five minutes of privacy behind a closed bathroom door.
– Take a break, even when you have things “hanging over your head.”
– Take a break, even though you might get everything done perfectly
– Take a break, but not so long it makes finishing what you should do from getting done.

Note: Too often lazy people take breaks and overly responsible people don’t. Reverse that trend.

Take time to laugh and have fun.  I have found that caring about others.  Giving my time and talents to others without expecting something in return builds my self-respect and cheers me up.  Medical and mental health professionals have found it’s true that “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” 1

And, finally, this season I have found feeding and watching the squirrels in our yard has helped me relax. 

A Merry, and blessed, Christmas to you all!

1 – An ancient Hebrew Proverb
2 – Photo thanks to Flicker artist Noël Zia Lee