Stress Reduction
for the Holiday Season

The Holiday Season is fast approaching and for many, it's a mixed blessing. Who isn't charmed with glittering store displays, excited children, and all the tempting cookies and candies everywhere? And a major highlight is organizing relaxed quality time with family and friends at Holiday parties and dinners? There are high expectations and multiple pressures to ensure happy Holiday celebrations.

However, the reality of the Season can be quite different; it's an exhausting month or so, jam packed with time consuming activities and social obligations, stress around finances and gift giving, crowded stores with no parking, over stimulated kids, and the challenge of maintaining emotional and physical health. Sometimes just the anticipation of the Holidays can be overwhelming.

Blended families have additional stresses that may include spending time with ex spouses and multiple sets of grandparents, visiting kids who may be homesick for the other parent, loneliness if your child is spending time with the other parent, step sibling rivalry, competitive gift giving, and a bunch of kids who may be over excited and over indulged transitioning between households.

Everyone is run ragged and spread too thin, planning, cooking, working around conflicting family schedules, and organizing transitioning kids. And this year, because money worries are a serious concern, there is even more pressure setting a firm budget and being creative about gift giving. The Holiday Season is an emotional time that can make problems and issues more acute; even though everyone is supposed to be enjoying themselves and each other, tension and anxiety can take over.

What is the secret to reducing general Holiday stress and dealing with common issues and problems as blended families come together over the Holidays?

The experts recommend several strategies including:

• Planning ahead and prioritizing
• Keeping it Simple
• Setting a budget and sticking to it, no matter what
• Asking friends and family for help and not being the martyr
• Agreeing on a Time Out for family issues and problems until after The Holidays
• Keeping kids on a schedule and minimizing sugar overload, over tiredness and melt downs
• Maintaining emotional and physical health by getting enough rest

We also recommend treating yourself to affordable, flexible Blended Family Group Coaching to help reduce holiday stress around any of the above issues or helping you prioritize and implement useful strategies to make this holiday season your happiest ever.

Another great resource for holiday stress reduction is the 25-page downloadable Special Report from Emily Bouchard, founder of Blended-Families.com, LLC. This ebook offers great strategies which you can begin using right away to help you survive the holidays with your blended family. Click here to order.