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The holidays can be a stressful and depressing time for anyone, and particularly so for a person living after a diagnosis. Stress and depression can hurt your ability to fight disease.

Following are time tested tips that may help, many of which are based on the recommendations of the National Mental Health Association. If you have additional tips, please share them by clicking here.

• Revise holiday activities to fit your current physical and emotional condition and to include people you care about. Don't overdo it.
• Revisit past holidays to locate consistent stressors and think about how to eliminate them. Also look at past holidays to see what has previously helped you cope.
• Keep your expectations realistic.
• Prioritize your activities.
• If you are in treatment, ask your doctor if you can take a vacation from treatment during the holidays.
• If you're not physically or emotionally up to going shopping, or holiday shopping crowds get to you, shop online or from a catalogue. You can avoid lines by shopping early in the day in brick and mortar stores.
• If a money crunch is causing difficulty, focus on the real meaning of the holiday. Create a budget.
• Live healthy: keep alcohol to a minimum, keep food balanced and don't over do it. Exercise. Get rest.
• If you are dealing with grief, use the holidays to help finish your grieving.
• Share your feelings. As Art Linkletter said, "Laughter is the best medicine." It's okay to cry (even for men).
• Build in alone time.
• Remember the happy times.
• Practice forgiveness.
• If you're lonely, get busy.
• Accept what you can't change.
• Practice coping mechanisms, including renewing spirituality.
• If you make resolutions, keep them doable
• If seasonal decrease in sunlight causes you to suffer emotionally from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), get treatment.
• Let go of the future. Be here now.

If none of the above works, call your doctor or other medical practitioner. If suicidal thoughts appear, call a hotline or go to an emergency room.

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