The holiday season often requires us to keep track of and pay attention to a greater number of responsibilities than usual which causes our brain and bodies to go into overdrive. Tis the season to be stressed indeed. But there are ways to be merry and to shine brightly just the same. Here are some tips from Dr. Daniel Amen that will help soothe the holiday jitters.

1. Think boundaries, not walls.

Effective boundary setting is a bid for connection and closeness, not a method of shutting people out. If you’re tempted to say yes to every request, you might build resentment or spread yourself too thin and cancel your commitment at the last minute. By being selective about what you feel you can handle, you are honoring your own time and needs as well as the person you’re setting a boundary with. Clear communication about your wants and needs sets the tone of mutual respect with yourself and others.

2. Meditate.

A 2017 study showed a significant improvement in mood after practicing mindf...

When overwhelming stress hits us it’s important to manage how our bodies react to it and how we can redirect our minds. One of the ways to do that is cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT which, according to Mayo Clinic, helps us become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so we can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.

Seth Gillihan, a licensed psychologist, adds mindfulness to this type of therapy. He calls this Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MCBT) and uses 3 components to help his patients: Think, Act, Be. According to Dr. Gillihan, Think is the cognitive part of MCBT which helps us challenge the thoughts that drive stress. With the Act component, the “behavioral” in MCBT, we lower stress by doing (or not doing) certain activities. And through Be, the mindfulness part of mindful CBT, we practice being in the moment and letting go of resistance to our circumstances.

Here are seven techniques that Dr. Gillihan often shares wit...