There's a lot of bad news going 'round this holiday season.  People close to me are getting divorced, losing their jobs, and losing their homes. 

When I hear news like this I wish I owned my own company so that I could give all my friends jobs, or that I was so rich I owned extra homes and could say "just stay awhile."  But alas, I don't.  All I have is a listening ear, and often even that is malfunctioning.

I remember one of my first corporate jobs in San Francisco - three months after I was hired there were massive layoffs.  At the time my co-workers and I didn't know if we were "safe," so we went out to an expensive lunch on the company card.

I was in marathon training and had a run to do after work, so I didn't partake in the rounds of shots everyone was buying.  I didn't order my own dessert.  I was mad and angry, but I told myself I'd take it out on my run - and I did.

I'm not saying that working out will fix problems as big as losing a home or job.  All I'm saying is I've found it's a productive way to express bad energy.  There have been times when I've been really angry about something, and I'll sit with a friend over drinks and complain for hours.  I never feel better after doing that.  I do feel better if I can run, or do a yoga video, or hit a punching bag.  (Note:  all of the aforementioned exercises can be done without having to pay for a gym membership).

We can't always control what goes own in our lives, but we can control how we react to them.  For more tips on dealing with holiday stress, check out this article from Psychology Today.