© MB OPINION HERE'S SOME TIPS € ON MINIMIZING = STRESS THIS TIME 8 OF YEAR, WRITES 2 MELANIE MCGREGOR With the holidays upon us, a wide range of emo- tions might be as well. The magic and festiveness we Thursday, December 22, 2022 | associate with this time of may also be tinged wath a it of stress, anxiety, and fati That doesnt make us Scroog es — it makes us hu- m= "turned to our team members here at the dian Mental Health ‘Associ- ation for tips on caring for their wellness during the season, and their sugges- tions are true gifts: + I frequently remind myself things don't need to fect to build won nder- Warm and safe holiday wishes iiaolsameluvamaelelarall and staff! insidehalton.com MELANIE MCGREGOR Column tions, and listening to oth- ers be honest about not try- ing to live up to unrealistic expectations also helps! . Holiday cheer i is about ey. Budget for gifts vand don't spend more than you can afford. Get creative and make a gift, like baking a cake or knitting a pair of gloves. + We are human beings, but often we are human “doings” — moving from one thing to the next mind- Sate I really try to focus attention on one thing ate a time, especially at this time of year. So, when I'm putting ornaments on the tree, for instance, I try not to rush and try to remem- ber where I got the orna- ment and not just "get it done." . naa of the best ways to ge holiday gatherings with difficult family mem- bers is to plan ahead and de- cide on a healthy action to triggering could "practise ahead and deliver the response feels right in the moment and allows you to feel proud tant to know what tradition is important and keep that going regard- less of how irrelevant or sil- ly, or small. Anew tradition Ihave started now that my nieces are all grown up is to re child's toy — not for them, but as an excuse for me to enter a toy store and keep my inner child alive. I then give the gift toa child in my fe. The first time I did this, left a three-foot stuffed P#Oa @G AVOIDING HOLIDAY ANXIETY green worm on my neigh- bours' doorstep for their ba- awaiting them when they opened their door and of the child's delight ata stuffy that ‘was longer than he was ave wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. Melanie McGregor is the communications and ad- vancement specialist at the Canadian Mental Health Association Halton Region Branch, which provides mental health/addiction community support and education. Visit www.hal- ton.cmha.ca for more in- formation and follow @cmhahalton on Twitter. (/OUROPINIONS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM Visit oakville.ca for current information, and follow the town's social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Visit oakvilletransit.ca for holiday transit, care-A-van, Home NEWS WOLSELEY CANADA OPENS BRANCH IN OAKVILLE Plumbing, HVAC and Waterworks products dis- tributor Wolseley Canada has or ened a ranch Located at 2400 Oinston Park Dr., the Oakville branch is a 000. square- foot facility, which Wolse- ley says offers a full range plumbing and HVAC prod- ‘tim excited to welcome the Oakville community to our facility," aid Vanessa “You can count on us to bring the same great ser- vice, expertise and product selection that our custom- ers rely on from Wolseley Canada." Wolseley Canada is a market leader in the whole- sale distribution of plumb- Wolseley Meta image Wolseley Canada has opened anew branch in Oakville. ing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigera- tion, waterworks, fire pro- tection, pipes, valves and attests and industrial roduct eit a head office in Burlington, the company has around 2,500 employees and more than 220 locations coast to coast. SUBMIT YOUR LETTER 10 THE EDITOR TODAY! oakville.ca i W Stay up-to-date with the latest openings and closures to Hub schedules and safety restrictions. Snow clearing information line is available at 905-815-5999 along with our snow plow tracker at oakville.ca. Spot a problem? Report it! Our ServiceOakville Online tool lets you report a variety of issues like potholes, noise, winter services and on-street parking concerns. To report urgent problems related to roads, by-law enforcement, traffic lights, trees or storm events, please call 905-845-6601 to be connected with our after-hours service.