Holiday Stress can be a joyous fun
time and for others it's the straw that breaks the camel's back. The
holidays bring extra stress in addition to your already ongoing everyday
stress. For this reason you are more apt to experience stress related issues
such as headaches, hypertension, excessive eating, stomach problems,
insomnia...
There are several things you can do
to make sure the "camel's back" is not yours:
1. Maintain your physical balance.
Holidays simply bring on additional challenges to an already challenged
world which makes it easy to lose track of one's physical responses to
stress. It might sound silly, but we forget to breathe deeply after we rush
from store to store, we forget to let go of muscular tension after we race a
stranger to a parking spot; and we forget to let go of vascular tension
after we rush through a yellow light that just turned red. Holding onto
these tensions simply increases our chances of having unhealthy responses to
stress. To maintain your physical balance, do deep breathing. It helps your
entire body relax. Do lots of deep breathing after the race to the parking
spot, the rush through the red light, rushing from store to store... and
remember to take a moment as you are going about to check to see if your
shoulders are hunched and tense, or your jaw tight. Take a deep breadth and
relax them. It's amazing how we often simply brace our bodies for no real
reason at all--often it's simply a left over response from child hood years
when we were uncertain if we were going to be physically assaulted by
another child.
2. Maintain your emotional balance.
During the holidays you will have exposure to additional emotional stress.
You just missed the last game you wanted to buy for your son, had a
disagreement with a sales clerk, are at loss as to what to get for you
significant other... And don't forget the ongoing everyday stress at work.
With all this, it's easy to feel overwhelmed with everything going on about
you.
And then there are the family
gatherings which in some cases bring challenges of getting along with
certain family members. It's important to remember that the time exposure is
limited to a few hours or days at most. Yet, avoid selling yourself out. In
other words, there is no need to grin and bear it. If there are
uncomfortable feelings, avoid getting into blaming or rehashing the
past--it's over and done with. Speak only from your experience and remember
that any negative feelings you have are owned by you and are a result of
your perceptions. It's often useful to agree to disagree as you may never
perceive a situation the same as someone else.
Emotions of frustration, confusion,
uncertainty, and in some cases, anger and upset can pop up at any time.
And the holidays are not a happy
time for many. Why? It could be the loss of a loved family member or friend.
What do you do with these extra
feelings and emotions? Answer: The key is to acknowledge them and embrace
them as opposed to denying them When you deny emotions they end up running
your life in the form of anxieties, hypertension, stomach unrest,
sleeplessness...
Following are eight tips for a
smooth holiday experince:
1. It's unfortunate that the
cookies and cakes are often associated with the holidays. Thus it's more
important than ever to maintain healthy eating habits--minimize coffee,
foods high in sugar, candy, refined flour products like most baked goods...
These foods tax your endocrine system magnifying your emotional reactions
not to mention add pounds to your body over the holidays.
2. Maintain good sleep habits. It's
tempting to stretch the awake time to get in all the shopping and
responsibilities finished. A good night's sleep will leave you far more
creative and effective in accomplishing your goals.
3. Remember that the holidays are
not a happy time for everyone--perhaps they lost a loved one during a past
holiday. Be sensitive to the needs of others during what is a trying time
for them.
4. Before you emotionally react,
take a deep breadth and count back from ten to one. It's true that this
simple basic technique is very valuable for managing emotional stressors and
may keep you from a useless disagreement.
5. Minimize your consumption of
alcohol at holiday functions.--don't use them as an excuse to become
inebriated. Awaking with a hang-over is not a fun way to spend the next
day.
6. Establish a budget to manage
your finances. Plan your expenditures and resist the temptation of using the
credit card excessively. Credit card companies love your patronage at
holiday time.
7. Don't expect to be Super Man or
Wonder Woman. You are only one person with only 24 hours in a day--it's ok
to say "no" to friends, family, and work associates if fulfilling
their requests interferes with your exercise, eating, sleeping, financial
status, and peace of mind.
8. If you find yourself being
"under the weather," pamper yourself, take time off, take extra
vitamins, and especially stay away from sugary foods, baked goods... By
doing so you avoid further complications and maybe even hospitalization.
Keep these eight tips in mind to
thoroughly enjoy the holidays and manage holiday stress effectively.
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