Simple Steps To Reduce Holiday Stress

NEW YORK (CBSNEWYORK) -- The holidays can be busy. There are gifts to buy, cookies to bake, decorations to put up and that can all amount to one thing -- stress.

"Most of the stressors that we see during the holidays are people getting really excited and overcommitting themselves," said Julie Schwartz, a certified wellness coach.

For example with money or your time, juggling the job and fighting mall traffic. But there are things you can do to make your holidays bright and merry.

"One is manage expectations. We tend to go in, expecting it to be this great, joyous occasion and it is, but at the same time, there's always some disappointment there if you think it's all going to be just wonderful and joyous," Schwartz said.

Also, try to stick to what you usually do.

"Eat on a normal schedule, go to sleep on a normal schedule, and try to manage that pre-sleep routine so that you're sleeping more restfully," Schwartz said.

That goes for the gym as well. Don't skip workouts, which can help work the stress off.

"It's really about prioritizing what's special about the season, and making sure that that fits into your day and then there's a lot of things that we just do, some of them if they don't get done, nobody's even going to notice that they were missing," Schwartz said.

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