This is unquestionably a period where all of us are experiencing an enormous amount of stress. And what makes it even more challenging is that the source of stress is multi-faceted. With all of this going on, it’s understandable that we would be experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, and even depression. However, there are steps that we can take to break out of this cycle and be able to maintain as much of our normal lives as possible.

You can feel the shift in energy every year around the holidays. It’s a mixture of excitement and anxiety…what a combination! We assume that we’re always stressed this time of year and that’s just the way it is.  After all, do we really have a choice? Well, of course, we do. Check out the differences between high achievers and perfectionists and see where you fall. Then, make a choice to exercise self-compassion and proper perspective.

Have you ever shared your frustrations or recounted a stressful day with a friend, and they say, “You need to let it go.”? Most of us would admit that this is not what we want to hear. Instead, we want to wallow in it, re-live it, and have someone tell us that we are right to be upset. Yet, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that we really do need to “let it go”.

Everywhere we look, there are articles on how to reduce stress. Of course, we want to reduce stress. Stress is not good for us, right?  Maybe yes, maybe no.