I love Thanksgiving. I love the foods. I love the fall leaves painting the landscape. And I love seeing my family. Sorta. Usually. I mean, I do. Well, when everyone isn’t yelling.

Fact is, holidays can bring out the best and the worst in us. When you gather a mix of relatives in one space, toss in overeating and over-criticizing, mix in some booze, plus endless errands, annoying travel, crowded stores and screaming children, the holidays can potentially make your head spin. And due to the economic woes we’re all facing, many peoples stress this season is focused on cash flow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than a million Americans lost their jobs this year.

However, according to a recent study by market research firms KW Strategems and Decipher, Americans claim to be good at handling holiday stress — On a 10-point scale, Americans rated their stress level at 3.44 points. So that’s good, right?

So even if your dad starts to nag you about not having a “real job” or you feel so broke you’ll probably end up making people macaroni art for presents, try to stay calm. If the family starts to drive you up the wall, go for a walk. If you are fretting over finances, give friends and family favors as presents (like offers to babysit, help doing someones taxes, paint their living room, make them cookies, whatever your specialty may be). Most importantly take care of yourself during the holidays. Don’t use the holidays as an excuse to be super unhealthy. Sure, indulge and enjoy but don’t sabotage your health.Don’t over commit to parties and events if you know you can’t afford the time. Don’t force yourself to celebrate with conflicting friends or family just to save face. Gracefully decline requests to be places you don’t want to be. Holidays are suppose to be fun (key words “suppose to”) not hellish.

For helpful ways to cope with holiday stress, takepart and check out The Mayo Clinics 12 tips for coping with stress, depression and the holidays at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030