My #1 Holiday Stress Buster

While the holidays can bring abundant joy, they can also trigger tremendous stress. Jam-packed stores, perfect-gift hunting, travel delays, overindulgence, kitchen bickering, family conflicts, unmet expectations and more all lead to stress, anxiety, tension and not-so-merry moods.

I have a foolproof remedy for busting holiday stress that's fast, easy and super-duper effective:

Hug it out.

That's right.

Hug. It. Out.

Instead of squabbling, snapping or snarling, give your partner, kiddo, sister, mom or brother-in-law a big ol' hug. Doing so will immediately dissolve any stress, tension, anxiety and grumpiness. 

In fact, hugging decreases cortisol (your fight-or-flight stress hormone), lowers blood pressure, and releases oxytocin (your bonding and trust-building hormone).

I've personally tested this stress buster numerous times and know firsthand that it truly works not only during the holidays, but every day of the year. 

Give it a whirl.  You have nothing to lose, except your cranky pants!