4 Secrets To A Stress-Free Thanksgiving [EXPERT]

It's 2pm on Thanksgiving Day, you're in the kitchen, stressed-out, covered in gravy, feeling tremendous pressure to get a large dead bird out of the oven at exactly the right time, cursing the day when you told your friends and family you would host this holiday, while everybody else in your home is in the next room watching football and relaxing. 

If this sounds familiar to you or if just going to your family's for Thanksgiving brings up anxiety, use these four steps to transform your holiday experience from harried and uncomfortable to meaningful and enjoyable. 4 Ways To Protect Your Relationship During the Holidays EXPERT

1. Stay Connected To The Meaning Of Giving Thanks. With Black Friday literally looming just hours after Thanksgiving dinner, it's easy to get sucked in to thinking about Thanksgiving as simply the kick off of the holiday shopping season, filled with it's own set of tasks and pressures.

This year, make a point to use the entire week of Thanksgiving to focus on who and what you are grateful for in your life. Consider keeping a gratitude journal or starting a new tradition on Thanksgiving Day for everyone to talk about what they are grateful for. If the prospect of seeing a member of your family or an in-law makes you tense, take a few minutes during the week to write down at least three reasons you have to be thankful for having that person in your life. Read over your gratitude points on Thanksgiving morning to help you reconnect with the true meaning of Thanksgiving.