The lead up to the Christmas holiday season gets many people into hyper drive as they try to finish things up at work so they can come back to a clear desk after the holidays. That, plus making holiday plans, gift shopping and attending end of year functions etc means a great deal of additional stress can be created on top of the normal everyday activities. Instead of getting into hyper drive, an alternative is to deliberately slow down and plan for what needs to be done; to be realistic in what can usefully be achieved work wise (and personally) and what can safely be left for another time; to reschedule some invitations for pre-Christmas catch ups until the New Year, when things are quieter; and to say no to any obligations that have a should attached to them that you don't want to do. We have choices to make here ­ – get super busy and super stressed or slow down and be discerning where we put our energy.