Holiday Stress Tips From A LiveStrong.com Writer

And if you are wondering why there is a picture of Lance Armstrong on our front page today, its because today’s featured writer, Debbie Mandel, is also a featured writer for LiveStrong.com. If Lance finds her information useful, and beauty is tied directly to health and fitness, Debbie must have a few things to say that we could all benefit from.

Right at the beginning of the holiday season is best the time to get off on the right foot and keep ourselves from being taken over by the hypnosis of the culture that says, “Hurry! Rush! Get to the store by 5AM or you’ll never get any good deals this year!”

And if there is one thing that True Hollywood Makeup stands for, its seeing through the cultural hypnosis: especially when it is directed at making us feel like we are lacking something or going to “miss out.” It simply isn’t true.

Instead, you can use some of the great tips offered here in Part II of Debbie Mandel’s contribution to True Hollywood Makeup to keep your self well rested and fresh through the holidays. And of course show up looking beautiful to all those holiday parties!

And the funny thing that some of us who have a hard time relaxing may find, is that we actually get “Addicted To Stress.”

If you didn’t get a chance to read Part I, Debbie offers some great wisdom about how to stay centered year round, as well as during the holidays.

Debbie has also written a book called “Addicted To Stress” that gives women insight into how they can get free of the tension that they have learned to deal with over the years.

Below are a few more of Debbie’s thoughts about how to live a healthy and serene life by making time for you. We’ll say that again: make time for you! It will make your holiday experience that much more enjoyable!

Here are some holiday stress tips that apply year round:

Nothing dulls natural beauty more than routine, robotic living. Stimulate yourself and your body with the novel.

Exercise trainers know that you have to change up your fitness routine periodically if you want to see changes in your body and feel alive and alert. If people say, “What’s gotten into you!” You are on the right track.

Create time – a few minutes a day – to close your eyes and take a mini vacation. Sit comfortably, close your eyes and breathe to your own rhythm.

Suggested breathing: Inhale 2 counts through the nose and exhale 4 counts through the nose. Think “With each breath I now relax my heart.” After a few cycles use your 5 senses to imaginatively visit your happiest place on earth – from a tropical beach to a mountain cabin.

Give yourself a message you need to hear like, “I’m restored to serenity.” Then open your eyes and smile. You will feel rested and relaxed as though you returned from a vacation.

We all know how good we look, how much younger we look, when we return from a good vacation.

Shed one thing from the endless to-do list and see how good you feel. Don’t feel guilty about it. Instead celebrate with a “Look what I did today list.”

Thanks you to Debbie for the holiday stress tips. To read Debbie’s new book “Addicted To Stress” click below.

Holiday Stress Management Naturally - Susan Sarandon, She's 63! No Plastic Surgery. Amazing!

It’s Thanksgiving, and already some of us could use some holiday stress management. The holidays are a time to celebrate, enjoy family and friends, and rejuvenate. But so many of us get caught up in the fray.

The shopping, the family drama that so many people lament, the parties, the heavy food, the drinking. No wonder flu season hits around the holidays. So many people are tired, stressed, and loaded with heavy food and alcohol!

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t need to self soothe by over eating, drinking, too much caffeine, or stressing the credit card limits.

Debbie Mandel is a celebrity beauty and fitness expert of a different variety than who we usually have as guests at True Hollywood Makeup.

Her expertise is in fitness, nutrition, and stress management and she is a student of health and well-being for women. She studies the habits of celebrities like Susan Sarandon who manage to stay young and vibrant, even through their long and demanding careers in the spotlight, and educates every day women on how they can use the same principles to stay vibrant and healthy.

She is an accomplished author and radio host and is even a writer for Lance Armstrong’s site, LiveStrong.com.

Debbie has been kind enough to contribute a two part series with a few tips about how to reduce and manage stress naturally. But just because it is the holiday’s doesn’t mean we don’t get stressed out the rest of the year. Debbie’s wisdom holds true and can be applied all year round.

That being said, here is Part 1 of Debbie’s philosophy on holiday stress management.

If you look at Kristen Stewart and her rigorous, stressful – almost superhuman PR schedule – along with her confession about her need to smoke in order to self-soothe and her regrettable sedentary down time, you wish she could become more of what I call a Healthy Narcissist who takes better care of herself.

No matter how young you are you have to start making deposits in your “health savings account.” Look at natural beauties like Susan Sarandon as opposed to women her age who have undergone plastic surgery – there is a reason it is called plastic.

When you are fatigued, distracted, anxious and upset, mind your muscle! Exercise alleviates anxiety and depression. It will bring a flush to your face, energize your body and improve your focus to think clearly.

Manage the small stressors, the ones you can do something about, because they accumulate and overwhelm you – creating an inflammatory response in your body and your mind. You will smile less and lose that sparkle in your eye.

Sleeping will be compromised and you are more likely to self-soothe with junk food or jolt your body with coffee/ drugs/ cigarettes throughout the day creating a surge and crash cycle. The interim of withdrawal will make you irritable. Your bad mood will become contagious and others will no longer find you attractive because of it.
Debbie Mandel
-Fitness, Nutrition Expert
-Author, Radio Host

Some of this may seem like a bit of common sense, but so many people just miss it! Experts like Debbie are experts because they master the fundamentals. Read this post one more time – twice, three times if you need to – to help yourself remember. And start practicing this now!

Stay tuned for tomorrow, when Debbie will be back with more tips on holiday stress management. Meanwhile, for more reinforcement you can check out her book “Turn On Your Inner Light.”