8 Ways to Beat Holiday Stress

We're in the holiday season and for many people that means endless parties, meeting up with people who they don't necessarily want to see, eating foods that drag us down and, of course, shopping and depleting wallets. If you find yourself completely stressed from the holiday spirit, here are tips to get the stress under control.

Everyone can use tips for beating stress on a regular basis, but when the stress hormones are on the rise at certain times of the year it's time to up our stress relief game! Here are 8 tips to help out:

1. Citrus foods and scents provide a pick me up in that the smell actually increases levels of norepinephrine, the hormone that affects our moods. Having an essential oil with grapefruit, lemon or orange on hand can go a long way to boosting our positive vibe.

2. You've likely noticed at some point that turkey makes you tired and that the protein building block tryptophan in turkey is the cause. 5-HTP is a chemical by-product of tryptophan and is produced from an African plant called Griffonia simplicifolia. This is known to help us to sleep, decrease anxiety, depression, migraines and some other ailments. It does this by increasing production of serotonin It is in drug stores with the vitamins and minerals. If stress is causing you to lose sleep, maybe try this out.

3. In thai yoga massage (and accupressure) there's a spot in the webbing between the thumb and index finger (called the hoku in traditional Chinese medicine). When we apply pressure here for about 30 seconds that is known to reduce stress and tension in the upper body. You can d this discretely any time you need to.

4. Prioritizing your routines such as exercise and eating habits goes a long way to reducing stress - or better yet, not letting it build at all!

5. "If you're doing things you don't like doing stop doing them and you'll probably be a lot happier". This was something a psychology prof said in class one day about 30 years ago. I don't remember his name or even what class it was, but I remember this! If you have traditions that you really don't enjoy and that simply cause stress, consider abandoning them. You don't have to do anything. You are choosing always. Choose wisely.

6. Did you know that spicy foods trigger the release of endorphins? Spice up your meals a bit and get a lovely endorphin rush.

7. Schedule in time for the things that matter most. Whether it's time with your family or time alone, put it right into your schedule and allow nothing to take it away from you.

8. The 5-5-7 breath: This is a breath to bring you right into your body. Inhale for a count of 5, hold the breath for a count of 5 and then exhale slowly for a count of 7. This will send a message straight to your brain that everything is ok.

Pick out your favourites to use time and time again. Getting into habits that keep stress down all year long.

Mango Slushy

Ingredients

1. 2 large mangoes, peeled, cut into 1" pieces, frozen (about 4 cups)

2. 2½ cups coconut water

3. ⅔ cup fresh lime juice (from about 4½ limes)

4. ¾ tsp. kosher salt

5. 1 tsp. Aleppo-style pepper (a burgundy crushed pepper, not as hot as chile flakes)

Mangoes are known to be a stress busting food and can help you to sleep as well. The phytochemical from the fruit, along with amino acids like glycine, glutamine, and cysteine combined with naturally occurring fructose and glucose, travel to the brain and quickly restore depleted neurotransmitters.

This weeks recipe comes from Bon Appetit.