If your level of holiday cheer has gone from ho-ho-ho to low, low, low, you are not alone. During the annual end-of-year blitz between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, many people across Colorado experience the stress of balancing job deadlines, office parties and special year-end projects with their long list of to-do items at home.

Feeling torn between those personal and work commitments generates anxiety. These telling statistics show how much tension levels rise come December:

• 62 percent of Americans report greater stress levels during the holidays.
• 35 percent say they face greater work-related pressure during the holidays.
• 32 percent admit balancing work and holiday events stresses them out.

Unfortunately, office morale and productivity can suffer when employees feel so much strain. Lacking the proper coping strategies, workers may resort to taking unplanned vacations or simply disengaging. That can lead to yet greater stress for others in the office who have to pick up the slack.

The good news is that there are many ways to deal with holiday stress, from scheduling down time to lowering expectations to practicing the simple act of saying no.

We’ve compiled some of the best tips to help you and your employees not just survive the holidays, but also relax enough to truly enjoy the most wonderful time of the year. Take a look, and let us know which ideas work for you:

• Take a relaxation break video series
• Seven ways to diffuse holiday stress
• Give your brain a break at work
• 8 mental health tips to reduce holiday stress
• How to stay calm during the holidays