What are your personal anti-stress tips?
Aries
March 21 - April 19
Dynamism is one of your distinctive features, Aries, but holidays may drain your energy dry. And your disappointment in your own helplessness may aggravate the situation. You have a very long to-do list, and anyone who dares to add another item had better watch out for an emotional outburst!
To save your family members from seeing Arian temper tantrums, set aside at least an hour a day and spend it alone. You don’t need to do any reflecting or planning or self-analysis. Ask someone to help you with the tasks or chores and simply go out for a walk or have some sleep. Your family will be eager to help you feel better!
Taurus
April 20 - May 20
Don’t let your family down – they are relying on your peacemaking skills because there is no family reunion without a couple of instances of hurt feelings. However, witnessing relatives yell at each other is a powerful stress factor even for Taurus. It’s like you have to solve all the disputes, and if you can’t help, you think you are a failure.
If you feel you can’t take any more of family drama, rely on your inborn persistence. You are patient enough to appeal to everyone’s common sense, so don’t stoop to their hysterical level; speak with respect and insist that everyone calm down and proceed as a loving family.
Gemini
May 21 - June 20
You can’t stand being around fools. A family member who is falling behind (be it physical movement or understanding) will inevitably make your blood boil. A quick tip: not letting your Gran drive you shopping is the safest measure you can take to prevent violent outbursts on your part. However, an opposing opinion may trigger your temper as well.
To survive the upcoming holidays, do your best to work on patience. Make a special effort every day to calm your speeding mind; join a yoga class, start painting, etc. – anything hasteless will do. Slowing down to participate in daily activities will teach you to brace yourself and get ready to withstand irritation.
Cancer
June 21 - July 22
Your introverted persona is very sensitive to holiday stress. Family gatherings with all their assessing looks and remarks, criticism, conflicts or, vice versa, disregard, wear you out. Your feelings are often hurt, even if no one has intended to do so. You may even get upset over an unfortunate choice of the holiday present you get and take, say, a nose trimmer very personally.
If you feel uncomfortable, don’t just get all crabby and nurse your stress-induced gastritis – spill it out! Your relatives have to know that they offended you, especially if they didn’t mean to. Speak about what you feel and why you started feeling so – your family is most likely to apologize and support you.
Leo
July 23 - August 22
You can freak out just about anything, so embrace it and take stress as a weird holiday bonus. Someone may break your favorite platter or you may forget where you parked your car… Or gruncle Stephen may imply your career choice leaves much to be desired. If any of this happens, do what Elsa advised: let it go.
You’ll feel a lot happier if you make a conscious effort to let it go. Don’t get psyched about biting remarks or clumsy relatives. And by all means, do not talk or fight back. It’s the holiday season, after all! You might not find it easy, but try to sit back, relax and enjoy the treats!
Virgo
August 23 - September 22
You and your excessive thinking are your own stress factors! You think about everything you have to prepare for the holiday and your head is already reeling. Add to this all the frets about the diverse family needs – even picturing yourself attending to each makes your flesh crawl.
To-do lists might help to ward off stress. Make a separate one for every line of holiday work and cross the items out one by one to turn your chaotic panic into an ordered plan. You may already calm down when putting these things on paper. In fact, it may even feel like making a wish list for Santa – total fun!
Libra
September 23 - October 23
The main stress factor for a Libra is being treated unfairly. You can also be frightened by a lot of fuss. But family reunions are all about fuss and unfair treatment, unintentional, of course! Don’t get bitter if someone takes a second slice of cake while you get none at all – it is just an accident.
You may consider confronting those cheeky fellows for hours, but what’s the point? Overreacting will work even worse than silent treatment, so why don’t you make a calm remark on what’s going on in the moment? Don’t reproach, make a sweet note or even a joke. It will save you lots of time and ward off stress.
Scorpio
October 24 - November 22
You are very sensitive, but you are a master of disguise. As you don’t let anyone know about it, none of your relatives realizes they may hurt your feelings. Noisy family reunions are thus very annoying. Your tension always builds up because of the lack of alone time.
Don’t shy away from your own family. Help them understand where your boundaries lie and what you need to be happy. It may not help at once, so find a way to sneak into a room and spend some time alone shaking off the stress of the crowd. You may also take off sooner than others. But do try to speak to your family. They will understand – this is what family is for.
Sagittarius
November 23 - December 21
You can’t sit in one place, especially if it is a dinner table crowded with plates and relatives. You need movement to function properly and maintain inner balance. Formal meetings where you have to watch your mouth and behave are not your strong suit. Another stress factor is getting ready for the holiday – buying gifts, cooking, or even showing up in time.
Try to spend more time in the open to shake off the stress of the family gathering. Volunteer to decorate the house with lights and stuff or clean the sidewalks from snow – anything that will keep you away from the stuffy dinner room. A chance to go out and breathe in fresh air will help you feel less constrained.
Capricorn
December 22 - January 19
You are living under the constant pressure of other people’s expectations. The fear of failure is your companion. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Capricorn. No one can do everything right, so stop worrying about how you will serve the table or which jokes you’d better not tell during dinner.
Fussing about the possible developments will take you nowhere. Forget about the anticipation, live here and now, enjoy the moment! As soon as you take the burden of useless worrying off your shoulders, you’ll start feeling oh so more relaxed and catch up on the holiday spirit.
Aquarius
January 20 - February 19
You know that it’s important to let others live the way they want to and love your own lifestyle. But being among family members on holidays inevitably makes you learn to understand and master compromise. Don’t take this wrong – you do not need to bend your will to please every relative of yours. But make a conscious effort to realize their needs are just as important as yours and try to accommodate them, too.
You tend to cram lots of versatile activities into short time spans. Abstain from dynamic partying, traveling and shopping; relax and recharge before the stressful time comes. You’ll be surprised to see how many more things you’ll get done by slowing down rather than by speeding up.
Pisces
February 20 - March 20
You like to be alone and keep things to yourself; for you, being around curious family members is as challenging as taking an exam or knowing that your secret has been exposed. Holidays make you anxious because your sensitive persona is disturbed by all the loud sounds, obnoxious fun, backslapping, and teasing.
You are skillful enough to make temporary holiday adjustments in your attitudes and behavior. “This too shall pass” should become your mantra - it will shield you from getting annoyed by nosy family members, but the best way out is to escape every now and then and be alone. Even a few minutes spent in silence will help you process everything you are feeling and clear your mind.