Do you get Stressed Out Around the Holidays?
Only a handful of shopping days left!
If those few words caused your blood pressure to rise and your palms began to sweat, you are not alone!
With the holiday season starting earlier then ever, yes Christmas decorations were up in stores this year prior to Halloween, we tend to lose sight of what really matters around this time of year.
With the increase in commercialization of the holidays, and the many holiday commercials showing the perfect (expensive) holiday gift and the perfect holiday dinner, it can be hard to take a step back, relax and enjoy the festivities.
Instead we start to fret, and worry until we reach the point where we just want the holidays to be over so we can return to work (how messed up is that?!)
While the holidays have different meanings for everyone, we find common themes around spending time with those we love dearly, getting some much-deserved rest and reflecting back on the year that has come and gone.
We realize the holidays are not necessarily a joyful occasion for everyone, for some, the loss of a loved one, or the break up of a relationship or a strained family dynamic can unearth sad memories as the holidays draw near. This in turn can increase your stress levels as you begin to worry about what the holiday season will bring.
Is your body paying the price for increased worry and stress this time of year?
Emotional Stress
Emotional stress can manifest in different ways, including in your musculoskeletal system. Tight traps anyone?? Before you know it, those tight shoulders have now turned into a headache and you are now even less excited about hosting that big family dinner.
Insomnia
Raise your hand if you’ve had a sleepless night(s) when you are stressed. For some, it is hard to fall asleep and for some, you wake during the night. Your mind is working when it should be resting…and unfortunately waking up after a sleepless night only makes you more tired, stressed and anxious.
Digestive Upset
Ever wonder why when you’re stress or feeling anxious you also have an upset stomach or issues with digestion. When we feel anxious or stressed out our body responds by activating our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and releasing hormones. This drives blood away from our gastrointestinal system, in turn, negatively impacting our ability to digest foods effectively causing pain and discomfort.
Flu and Colds
Being under stress for a long period of time can lead to a compromised immune system, weakening our ability to fight off common conditions, like a head cold or the dreaded flu. I don’t know about you but the last thing I feel like doing when I’m sick is going to a holiday party or battling the shopping mall parking lot to run my last few holiday errands.
Hormonal Imbalance
When stress and anxiety levels are high the hormonal levels in our bodies are directly impacted. This can lead to a number of issues, including a low sex drive, reduced metabolism resulting in weight gain, high blood pressure and even hair loss.
Temporomadibular Jaw Pain
Do you ever wake up in the morning with a sore jaw? Do you ever catch yourself clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth? Ask yourself…are you stressed? Well you’re not alone! Stress can often cause people to clench their jaw or grind their teeth and if done long or frequent enough it can lead to pain, headaches, issues with your TMJ (temporomadibular joint – your jaw), and for some, gum recession and damage to your teeth.
Reduce Stress and Anxiety over the Holidays
These tips will help you relax, have more balance and enjoy the holiday season.
Take Time for You
Taking time for you, however small the window may be, and remembering to breathe. Deep breaths help you to control your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and ensures you’re spending more time in your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) and in turn not exerting undue stress on the body.
Practice Mindfulness
A mindfulness practice, whether that’s meditation class, yoga, forest bathing, meditating at home, taking a bath, snowshoeing, baking cookies, however it looks to you is key to helping you remain grounded and helping you make it through the holiday season while keeping your spirits bright!
A mindfulness practice helps to reduce psycho-emotional tension in the body, but if you need additional support, Osteopathic Manual Therapy treatment is also a great way to help you manage those types of symptoms. Your Osteopathic Practitioner dialogs with your body to help calm your nervous system, and in turn, releasing your tight muscles, but also encourages hormonal balance, improves your digestion, sleep and your immune system. Practitioner helps you to reconnect your mind, body, and spirit, helping you to be less reactive to everyday stress including those family dinners.
Get Out in Nature
Another good option is to get out in nature, whether that is going for a snowshoe on the north shore or up in Squamish, skiing, hiking, or a simple walk in Stanley Park (forest bathing!) or any type of physical activity that helps you to calm your busy mind.
Volunteer
Volunteering is great way to help you give back during this holiday season and giving back to your community is a amazing way to feed your soul this time of year.
Accept Yourself
Last but not least, this year, maybe just maybe, instead of focusing on ensuring you have the most perfect gifts or the most perfect holiday dinner, shift your focus to being perfectly imperfect. This should help reduce stress and anxiety over the holidays.
From our Ananta family to yours, we wish you peace, love and happiness this holiday season and much laughter, health and adventure in 2018! Contact us to find out more about how we can help you and your family this year and next.