[Bill Hemmer, Cnn Anchor:] December 20th on the calendar, five days away from the big day. "Tis the season to be jolly, right? The reality, oftentimes, a very different matter. The holidays leaving a lot of people stressed out. Dr. Sanjay Gupta today back with us at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Some tips on coping with that holiday stress, with a capital 'S." Good morning, Sanjay.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Medical Correspondent:] Good morning, Bill. Yes, I got to be the Scrooge here and give you some of these stressors of the holiday season as well. The really important things to consider, let's quickly look at the top three stressors of the holiday season. For number one would actually be unrealistic expectations. People have unrealistic expectations more so at this time of the year than ever. Overcommitment, number two, and finally, money stressors number three. Unrealistic expectations really take a lot of different forms, especially this time of year. A lot of times, with family relationships, people expect the fireplace, some Christmas lights, to soothe over a lot of hurting family relationships over the years. That's not always the case. And it takes some time to repair those even at the Christmas season or the holiday season. Also, just having other stressors in life. Those aren't going to not go away at the holiday season either. You really need to take time to some time to figure out what those stressors are. Here are some tips to make sure you can address some of those unrealistic expectations. Bring your expectations more in line with reality and surround yourself with supportive people, especially this time of year. Overcommitment, Bill, we also mentioned this, whether it is trying to go to too many school performances for your children, or whether it's trying to saying yes to too many parties. People are trying to do too much in too little time this holiday season. Here are some tips for people who are overcommitted in terms of their time. Ask for help, learn to say no. That's a big one. And prioritize whatever events you are trying to attend or things you are trying to do. Money problems also don't go away at the holiday season. People oftentimes try and top last year's gift with an even more expensive gift. That's not always a good idea. Those money problems will catch up with you. Here are a couple of tips on that, Bill, as far as money problems go, be smart, don't overspend when it comes to buying some of those gifts, and develop new gift-giving schemes. I buy all of my gifts the day before and give everybody the same exact thing. That seems to work pretty well.
[Hemmer:] You do that?
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Hemmer:] Really?
[Gupta:] No. I'm kidding.
[Hemmer:] I like it. You know, the whole thing about trying to say no, I think a lot of people have to learn that. But Americans get busier and busier every year when the realities of a
[Gupta:] I tell you what, let me jump in here and give you one more little pneumonic that actually helps a lot of people in terms of trying to get through the holiday season. You know what the key is, Bill be natural. Be natural. Breathe, exercise, natural stands for nutrition and don't forget your three meals a day. That's really important. Bill, I know you're good about that. And attitude, you have a good attitude. Everybody needs to have a good attitude. Try and see the glass is half full. Time management, Bill, you and I talked about this all of the time, never more important than the holiday season, uniqueness, again, and saying no, when necessary. Relaxation, take some time. Don't plan the next event. Read, listen to music and think about nothing else, at least for a few minutes a day. Associations with close friends and laughter is always the best medicine. Take it from me, Bill.
[Hemmer:] And the best time of the year to do all of that. Thank you, Sanjay.
[Gupta:] Happy holidays to you, bill.
[Hemmer:] And a good holiday. And good luck shopping on that last day.
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