It seems the topic uppermost in so many of our minds at this time of year is stress. AKA holiday stress. Too many gifts to buy, too little money. Too many cards to send out/e-mail, gifts to wrap, people to visit—too little time. Too many relatives and others to be considerate of—too little patience. Too little of you to go around. You are spread too thin in too many ways, which means the holidays are anything but. Aargh!

Time for a flip. Yup. Time to flip your internal switch from overwhelmed to relaxed. OK, so maybe not all the way to relaxed, but how about to "doable?" To "manageable?" To where you can actually enjoy the Holidays instead of resenting them... even if you can’t afford a personal shopper/package wrapper/etc. to take over all that has you running ragged.

Flip your switch. Take a moment to sit, breathe, and ask yourself: "What’s right with this picture?" How about the fact that you actually have friends and family to give gifts to? Many do not. You may loathe the office Holiday party, but guess what – you have a job. Many do not. You are positively grinching (pun intended) at having your relatives invade your home for the expected holiday meal, with all the cooking/cleaning/decorating the event entails, but heck, you have a home. Many do not.

Secondly, ask yourself: "What’s right with me?" Ah yes. Because at the moment you are probably feeling inept, incompetent, and woefully insecure. None of which are who you truly are. If you’ve made it this far in life, you’ve had plenty of moments where you’ve been competent and on top of things. You can do this. All it takes is reminding yourself of your various successes, small and large. Taking another deep breath. Getting creative with whatever your holiday duties are. Deliberately making the holidays fun for YOU!

Gifts don’t have to cost lots of money. It truly is the thought that counts. You don’t have to stay for hours on end at the office party. You can spend a gracious half-hour or so there with a smile on your face and take a quiet unobtrusive departure. Holiday meals are as simple or as complicated as you choose to make them. Heck, what about a potluck adventure for a change?

Flip the switch. Refuse to let holiday stress get the best of you, and instead, find the best for you in this holiday season.

Happy Holidays!

Noelle C. Nelson, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, consultant, popular speaker in the U.S. and abroad, and author of over a dozen best-selling books. Dr. Nelson focuses on how we can all enjoy happy, fulfilling lives while accomplishing great things in love, at home and at work, as we appreciate ourselves, our world and all others. She is the author of "The Longevity Secret: How to Live Happy, Healthy & Vibrant into Your 70s, 80s, 90s and Beyond" You Matter. You Count. You Are Important. Visit www.noellenelson.com, Facebook.com/MeetTheAmazings, #MeetTheAmazings, @drnoellenelson.