By Dr. Michelle Irwin

The holiday season is here and for most, it is a time to celebrate, make merry, and be with loved ones. But for some, even the times of merry-making can have some stress.

Whatever your stress maybe know that you are not alone and that you are loved. That is first. The second is to have the tools at your disposal to help decrease the stresses that come this time of year.

One thing to do is set aside time for yourself. Whether it is meditation, exercise, a hot bath, or a long walk in nature as she sets forward with her renewal cycle make time to decompress. My favorite has become meditation with breathing exercises and a renewed love of journaling which I do in the form of poems. It's a way for me to be creative just for me. I can reflect on what is inside my head and get it out in a cathartic way so that it is outside of myself, and I am able to set myself free.

We will be talking about different ways to make time for yourself over the next few weeks as well, but I wanted to share this renewed practice with you in hopes that you can start a habit before life gets in the way and you are able to keep it going through these beautiful times of thanks, goodwill, and love.