Holiday meals and other 'traditions' can serve up a helping of stress, too:
some tips on making it through
Love them or hate them, the holidays are coming, and with the first of the big ones, Thanksgiving, less than two weeks away, it's time to plan more than the menu for the meal!
Dr. Rich O'Neill, psychologist at SUNY Upstate, suggests starting by looking at what causes your stress, and then negotiating change: If it's tradition to give three gifts a person, for example, and you cannot afford that, talk to the other family members involved and come up with plan B. If you cannot cook the whole meal yourself, suggest assigning different parts of it to others who can bring along a dish, or more.
Some things will not change: there's lots of holiday food to tempt you off your diet. So, set a goal of avoiding it, then think about how. For example, if you're going to a party, plan on eating more fruit or less fattening food instead of the rich desserts.
Just some thoughts on strategies for surviving the holidays!
