Seasonal stress-busters

By Karen Sorensen

Make a list

Regain control by making a priority list and sticking to it. If your goal is being with your kids, don’t waste hours making your gifts look like works of art. If making time for friends is important, cut back on the cookie baking. For tasks you must do, find efficiencies, says Susie Mantell, author of “Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace.” Swap baby-sitting time with your friends so you can shop without the youngsters tagging along.

Find a distraction

Exercise is a great way to take your mind off stress, says Dr. Nancy Elder, a stress/anxiety specialist and associate professor at the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Family Medicine. Go for a walk, take a yoga class or ride the stationary bike. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes, it releases a biochemical into your brain that not only relaxes you, but helps you sleep better and regulates your appetite so you’re not so tempted to binge on unhealthy food.

Make yourself relax

Dr. Herbert Benson, president of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, has one foolproof way to reduce stress: Trigger a “relaxation response.”

“When we’re under stress, the fight-or-flight response kicks in and we get revved up by adrenaline,” Benson says. Add 10 minutes to your morning routine to sit in a quiet place, relax your muscles, clear your mind and repeat a word or phrase over and over, he says.

“You’ll know (it worked) because you will feel calm and more in control. You’ll have a sense of well-being.” Not only will it help you deal with stress later in the day, you’ll have a tool for whenever you need to calm down.