| By now you may be feeling the stress and the rush of the holiday season. But don’t despair, stress doesn’t have to get you down. Did you know that your body’s instinctive response to stress is to prepare for “fight or flight” as if there was an emergency? Your adrenal glands (stress glands) are your first line of defense and they release adrenaline into your bloodstream to increase your blood pressure, respiration and heart rate. This is very useful in a dangerous situation, but not so good in a situation where you are around family and find yourself becoming overly stressed.
Too much stress exhausts your adrenal glands which leads to a weakened immune system. As a result of this, you are vulnerable to a variety of health conditions such as insomnia, backache, fatigue, gastric issues, allergies, asthma, and even memory loss. Many of us find that we have an increased workload on top of the myriad of things we have to accomplish at this time of year. This takes us to the point where we can be chronically stressed, which also can lead to serious immune system dysfunction. The holiday season is a particularly stressful time – especially if you are one of those (primarily women) who are responsible for much of the holiday workload. Here are a few tips for dealing with your holiday stress: 1. Take time for yourself With busy holiday schedules, people often forget to take breaks. You may want to consider actually scheduling time for yourself to do something relaxing and enjoyable. Yes, put it down on your calendar so you have some time blocked off just for yourself. If the holidays are emotionally difficult for you, it can be extremely important to take care of yourself and seek support when needed. Go spend some time with a good friend and share what’s on your heart. 2. Prioritize There are many things through the holiday season that demand your time and attention. Don’t let yourself feel pressured to do everything. Take some time to think about which holiday activities mean the most to you, and focus on those. 3. Exercise In addition to helping decrease stress, exercise has been shown to reduce the frequency and duration of migraines, as well as lessen the pain and disability of fibromyalgia, sciatica, and whiplash. Exercise can also speed up the recovery time of many pain-related conditions and injuries. Find safe, effective ways to keep up your energy level. Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes four times per week (walking, running, swimming, hiking, etc.). This is not only good for your physical body, but it improves your mental wellness by decreasing stress, fatigue and depression. Exercise increases your endurance and energy. 4. Nutrition. The holidays are full of food and drink temptations. Obviously at this time of year, we all indulge ourselves, and that is perfectly fine in moderation, but overeating or eating from stress can make you feel worse. Have a healthy eating plan — eat whole grains, legumes, raw nuts and seeds, and fresh fruit and vegetables to protect your immune system. Drink 64 ounces of water per day, and try to avoid caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and processed foods. This is also a great time to take some buffered Vitamin C to bowel tolerance, zinc and a Vitamin B complex high in B5. During stressful times your digestion often suffers and B vitamins may not be adequately absorbed. Vitamin B can help overcome this and effectively reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue. 5. Learn to say no. Do you find yourself begrudgingly attending neighbors’ or friends’ somewhat boring Christmas party simply because you feel obligated? Do you find yourself volunteering at your children’s school food drive even though you’re already overloaded with all the things you have to do? If it is hard for you to say “no,” you will find yourself over-committed, overwhelmed, tired, and stressed out. It really is okay to say no if you don’t want to do something or don’t have the time to do it. Merely decline the offer politely and explain that you’re already over-committed. Most of the time, people will understand. 6. Don’t procrastinate. Are you the type of person who hurries to buy last-minute gifts on Christmas Eve? If so, it’s time to take charge of yourself and change your game plan. Waiting until the last minute to run errands only increases your stress levels. Make an effort to get a head-start on your to-do list a few weeks in advance. For example, why not set aside a date sometime in early December to complete all of your holiday shopping? Do as much as you can online. Also, if you are the person who is cooking Christmas dinner, make a grocery list a week ahead of time and run to the store a few days in advance to get everything you need. Avoid the last minute rush at the grocery store. Also, ask people to bring a dish or two so that you are not left taking care of the whole thing. 7. Get plenty of sleep. During the hustle and bustle of the holidays, you might find yourself neglecting your much needed rest. There are many reasons for this; it could be due to travel, staying up late with family, overeating, trying to get last minute things done, wrapping gits, and even feeling overwhelmed. It is important to make sleep a top priority during the holidays. You will enjoy the season so much more when you are well rested. Being well rested results in a better mood, sharper thinking and a heightened ability to problem solve. That being the case, go ahead and get to bed early. If you are having difficulty getting off to sleep because your mind is racing with all the things you have to accomplish, make a list. 8. Breathe. I know it sounds oversimplified, but breathing exercises are great for getting rid of unwanted stress. If you’re feeling overly anxious or stressed, take a few minutes to slow your breathing down. Breathe in through your diaphragm (stomach area), hold for a few seconds, and slowly release through your mouth (with a whooshing sound). There are many simple breathing exercises, but all bring about the same results – a little bit of stress-free time! 9. Take time for gratitude. Instead of focusing on what’s going wrong in your life, and how the busyness of this time of year gets to be a hassle, step back and appreciate the moment. Make a list of all the things you have to be grateful for. You will be surprised how much you can put on that list. Enjoy the time with your family, playing in the snow (if you are live in a cold weather area), enjoy being with your children and grandchildren and being able to play with them. There are so many things to be grateful for when we focus on the good things in our lives. You’ll naturally feel less stressed and more satisfied when you are thankful for everything around you. 10. Lower your expectations. You may tend to place very high expectations on the holidays. You want everything to be perfect, and you have a definite picture in your mind as to how everything will play out in a specific way. You probably picture things like how amazing the food will be, how perfect and cooperative the weather will be, and everyone will be in a great mood and have a perfect day together. Inevitably something will not go the way you are planning, and you may find yourself feeling disheartened and a little depressed when things don’t go according to your plans. Just lower your expectations, realize it will not be perfect, but determine that you will just let life happen. You’ll feel less stressed and have more fun. Just remember, when you feel that stress coming on, step away, do some breathing exercises, and focus on something joyful – something or someone that brings calm or peace to your life. This time of year is meant to be a celebration – for many of us the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Don’t let your mind and your stress cause you to be so stressed that you miss the joy of the season, and the happiness of being around family and friends. Give yourself permission to stress less! Need help in reaching and maintaining your goals? Are you stressed more than just through the holidays and would like to work with a professional to learn how to deal with your situation? To learn more, contact me for a free video or phone evaluation on the home page. https://www.holistic-healthandwellness.com. |