EDITORIAL: Seasonal fatigue? Try these five remedies

Let’s see a show of hands.

Who all is feeling the double-whammy of a draining election season painfully merging with stresses of the holiday season?

That’s a lot of hands.

Who’s not yet sensing the warm approach of Christmas spirit, and in fact, with cold weather and shorter days, isn’t feeling all that good over all, mentally or physically?

Well then. We’ve got some suggestions for you. Think of them as simple antidotes to various cases of seasonal stress poisoning.

1) Take a break from social media, even if it’s just a 24-hour breather. While social media has the potential to help relieve stress, for most of us the effect is the opposite.

2) Turn your cellphone off before you go to bed. Better still, remove it from your bedroom before the lights go out. And don’t be surprised if a good night’s sleep is your immediate reward.

3) Make like Santa and laugh, darn it. Watch a funny movie — in our view, the goofier, the better. If you want to open the door just a crack so the holiday spirit can sneak in, you can't beat "A Christmas Story" (you'll shoot your eye out!) or "Christmas Vacation" (the you-know-what was full!).

4) If you don’t have a go-to hobby, get one. Research indicates that at least one in five adults has no hobbies, even though three out of four say having a hobby is important.

5) Perhaps most importantly, make sure you’re getting good, regular exercise. Don’t wait for the New Year to purchase a fitness club membership or resolve to walk at least four times a week with your spouse or a friend. Start now, take it on a gradient so you don’t hurt yourself or get burned out, and prepare to be amazed at how much better you feel quickly and how much more active you become.

It is, in fact, the most wonderful time of the year. Lose some stress and see for yourself.

"It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it." — Lou Holtz