Battle Stations

Friends,
This week your regular structures, calendar plans and routines will be disrupted. Not only is Thursday the traditional License to Pig Out Day, but you will, in all likelihood, be dealing with lots of emotional and personal history as families and friends gather, (or, in many cases, divide up).

Stress is the normal response to new or disruptive stimuli. In other words, whether you love every minute of Thanksgiving week or would just like to cringe in a corner, your stress levels go up. Just thinking about your to-do list or the drive to the lake house is causing cortisol, even now, to lay on belly fat. If you respond with food, alcohol and cigarettes you'll get false sense of temporary calm and higher blood pressure in the long term.

Again, I exhort you: make a plan for some "alone" time during this week. When can you schedule 1/2 hour to yourself, to spend it however you WANT to? I hide in the bathtub, myself, with a light romance novel and a mug of cocoa. Walks are always good (you can bundle up and stuff tissues in your pocket). While I can't officially prescribe retail therapy, I know it sometimes works (especially if you avoid Cinnabon!) Even if you have to lock yourself in your car to call your best friend in Alaska and vent, you need a pressure valve during this high-pressure week. Get your calendar out now and write down your time--and post a comment, letting us know how you will take care of yourself!