Women work too hard at the holidays.

In a Santa Claus world they would work around the clock with as many little helpers as they could find, to many the dreams of everyone they know and love come true.

Women want to make their holiday seasons so perfect by having the perfectly decorated house, giving the perfect gifts, having the perfect dinner, the perfect jingle...and all of those other "perfects".

This creates tremendous stress and can put one on the road to the "Big Belly Club". Stress creates high cortisol levels in the body that put extra weight in the mid-section of the body where the "ho-ho-ho" jiggles the belly.

I wonder if that is Santa's problem? or is his big belly just from too many cookies and milk on December 24th?

Here are some tips on how to beat holiday stress and keep those cortisol levels down:

--Let go of expectations for the outcome of anything connected to the holiday and just enjoy the process as you go along each and every day

--Decide every day to do one thing good for yourself to feel better such as going to the gym even if you don't have time, taking that lavender bath, talking to your best friend on the phone, getting take out at your favorite restaurant

--Reflect on holiday's past and think of the wonderful times that stand out in your memories - you will most likely find that those wonderful memories weren't always about how perfect things looked, but more how good you felt inside

--Give where it's not expected of you - a local charity or a women's shelter