We all can get stressed during the holiday season. With gifts to buy, deadlines to meet, and events seemingly every evening, it makes sense that tensions could get high. Let us share with you a strategy for keeping the peace: HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired.)

HALT is an acronym to help you navigate difficult, stressful, or emotional conversations. If you have an important topic to discuss, check in with yourself first. If you are feeling hungry, angry, lonely or tired, you may want to table the conversation until you are in a better mindset. Getting into important or emotionally dense discussion topics when these basic needs aren’t met may be setting yourself up for disaster. These four areas will give you an easy indication of your base stress level. This simple act of self-awareness can help you avoid arguments, debates, and meltdowns this holiday season. Refinery Counseling Center is a boutique mental health counseling center specializing in individual, couple, and family counseling.