Holiday De-stressing

If you're anything like me, the holiday's are only the icing on the cake.  Stresses of every day life are always catching up with me and it seems the closer it get's to Christmas, the closer I get to crazy.  Here are some pointers to help balance your mind, body and soul during this chaotic time of year.

1.  Find the sun.  The sun stimulates serotonin giving you an overall good feeling.  Go for a walk or sip a cup of tea near a window.  This is the cheapest happy pill there is!
2.  Surround yourself with citrus.  Certain citrus fragrances are shown to boost your mood and alleviate stress by increasing the hormone norepinephrine.  Try boiling some water with orange or lemon slices on the stove top or my favorite go to, essential oils.  I find oils to be most convenient when I need a pick me up.  My favorites are Wild Orange and Lemon that you can find here.
3.  Walk.  This one is simple and self explanatory.
4.  Do less.  We tend to feel like we have to do it all during the holiday.  You have shopping, wrapping, cooking, pictures, cards and the number of holiday events and parties.  Practice doing less, even if it is only one thing you cut out this year.
5.  Eat spicy.  Feel euphoria when spicy foods release endorphins.  Try this yummy recipe for Roasted Vanpayar Curry from the Simply Spicy blog.