here's no denying the joys of the holidays, but with all the shopping, parties and family visits, it's easy to get overwhelmed by emotional and physical stressors. Trust me, I know the feeling!

Below, I share six simple-yet-effective techniques I use regularly to restore my body and mind when the darker, shorter days and all the pressures of the season start to wear me down. Give them a try so you can enjoy more and stress less during this special time of year!

1. Roll out stress

Spending hours on our feet shopping, cooking and partying, coupled with all the holiday travel, can tie our muscles in knots. Although a massage would be great, who has time at the height of the holidays? Instead, quickly get the relief you need by spending just a few minutes rolling out your legs, hips and back with a foam roller or massage ball.

I keep a small roller and vibrating Hypersphere massage ball handy on a living room shelf for daily use. Whenever I travel, I make space in my bag to take a roller or Hypersphere with me. You can get these types of self-massage tools online or at sporting goods stores and department stores.

Even that rolling pin you've been using to roll out all the cookie dough can work on tired legs. Just roll it over your legs with moderate pressure, concentrating on the areas that feel tightest.

2. Cultivate compassion

With all of the gift-giving, most of us feel particularly charitable over the holidays. But even the best of us can lose touch with our compassionate nature when faced with an onslaught of long shopping lines, lack of available parking and rude relatives.

Thankfully, we can work to strengthen our ability to show compassion through meditation. And, even better, research shows positive stress-reducing benefits from practicing compassion meditation. In fact, a Stanford study found that it not only lowers our stress response, it lowers our own pain response, helping people with chronic pain find relief.

To practice a quick and easy compassion meditation, simply close your eyes and imagine someone you think could use some compassion. Focus on an image of them and slowly repeat these three phrases in your mind, directed toward them, three times: "I wish you peace. I wish you love. I wish you happiness."


3. Drink more water

Considering that our bodies are mostly water, most of us are aware of the vital importance of hydration. But not everyone realizes that the health benefits of hydration actually extend to stress relief. Being even just a little dehydrated can increase our body's levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, leading to feelings of anxiety, exhaustion and overall irritability.

Too often, when we're busy with all the holiday festivities, we forget to drink as much water as we normally would.

To avoid getting dehydrated, keep a bottle of electrolyte-enriched water in your bag when you're out. Electrolytes are minerals involved in virtually all aspects of our bodies function, from breaking down carbohydrates to conducting the electrical activity of the heart. We lose electrolytes when we're dehydrated. You can find electrolyte-enriched bottled water at most grocery stores.

Bonus benefit: Drinking electrolyte-enriched water can help counter the dehydrating, taxing effects of alcohol on your system and even prevent hangovers. So if you're planning to indulge in a few candy cane cocktails, make sure you're replacing your electrolytes and staying hydrated.

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