Healthy ways to deal with stress for the Holidays

Some of the things that I commonly hear from patients that I’m treating clients who I am coaching or training around the holidays include increased anxiety, difficulty, sleeping, weight gain, and increase in migraine headaches, and the constant feeling of being over-extended, whether with time or money.

Stress and anxiety can come from many things during the holidays. There is the obvious concerns about buying presents, hosting or going to parties, kids activities surrounding the holidays, and sometimes even a sense of not being as good as the joneses because most of us, don’t have the spare cash to give somebody a brand new Lexus for Christmas, or just jealous of friends who are taking a holiday in the Bahamas. Add to that the decreased amount of sunlight, that we receive in the northern hemisphere around the holidays, which is associated with a decrease in our vitamin D levels. Quite often this means we get outside less and get exposed to less sunlight in general and many of us get less exercise during this time than we would other times. This decrease in exercise, compounded by an increase in sugary foods that are very common during the holidays also often lead to weight gain. Between the lack of sleep, the increase in stress, and some of the foods that are often served at holiday parties, it is very common to see migraine sufferers I have an increase in migraine headache frequency and severity. On top of all that, suicide rates are near their highest around the holiday season.

So how can we address all of these problems that come up with the holidays? To begin with, get outside and enjoy yourself. In northern climates, it does get very cold around the holidays, but ask any cold-weather sports enthusiast and they will tell you that it’s never too cold to enjoy yourself as long as you have enough layers on. That may be extreme, but there is a lot of truth to it. First of all, whether you enjoy winter or not, we are about to embark on several weeks or months of snow which will be here regardless of whether you choose to enjoy it or not. By getting outside and doing things, you increase your exposure to vitamin D from the sun, hopefully move around a little bit more and burn some calories, and hopefully find something you can look forward to during the winter months. Cross country skiing, downhill, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and ice-skating are all enjoyable activities that you can do during the winter that actually burn a lot of calories and help keep you in good physical shape. If you are not up for any of those, at least get outside in a lot of warm clothes and go for a walk. The exercise and the fresh air will do amazing things for your attitude. Since you will likely be covered up while you were outside, you may not get as much vitamin D from the sun as you did during the summer, but the amount of vitamin D, your face gets exposed to in a couple of hours is still significant enough to make a difference. It would still be wise to make sure you’re taking a vitamin D supplement and/or are eating foods high in vitamin D content (tuna, deep sea fish, eggs, dairy products. It also would make sense to change some of your lightbulbs to full spectrum white light in the house. These are more readily available’s ever and you can buy them at target or at any hardware store or home repair store.

He’s exercising outside is just too cold for you, exercise inside. Memberships to places like the YMCA, LA Fitness, and Lifetime Fitness are always discounted around this time of year. There are also way more options for the low price memberships at places like 24 hour fitness and snap fitness. Most of these places offer group fitness classes that include things like yoga, tai chi, Boot Camp, cycling, and Pilates. Group exercise has the benefits of peer pressure/peer support to keep you on track with your exercise programs. There is also evidence that we secrete more oxytocin when we exercise in a group than we do when we exercise alone. Oxytocin is a feel good hormone and also one that creates a sense of bonding between people who do it. That is why exercise classes sometimes have much higher success rates than doing it on your own.

Another thing that often contributes to stress during the holidays is the food that we eat. Holiday parties are notorious for processed foods, charcuterie, boards filled with aged cheese and deli meats, wine, chocolates, and sugary snacks. While these foods are fine in moderation, they do tend to zap us of energy. All of those foods I just listed are also considered migraine triggers for most people who suffer from headaches. During the holidays, try to make sure you drink lots of water, choose foods from the fruit or veggie tray, if one is available at a party, and avoid, it was processed foods with lots of nitrates, like chocolate, deli meats, aged cheeses, and wine. Also, limit your caffeine and alcohol intake in general, because both of them can dehydrate you.

Lastly, learn to say no, and to prioritize what’s important. There are so many obligations that we feel like we have to go to, or have to attend to during the holidays that we lose sight of what is important. The holidays should never be about buying a gift you can’t afford to impress somebody who doesn’t care. In our family, we try to make gifts be something that is either an experience or helps create memories. Also, don’t feel obligated to go to every event that comes up. Your time is limited, do the things that are important to you but give yourself time to breathe.

Lastly, don’t forget to take care of yourself during the Holidays. While you are out there shopping and taking care of everyone else, make sure you get the rest you need and do something to make yourself feel healthy. Get a massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, or a personal training session for yourself! And if you are too busy to get into the clinic or gym, call Lake Minnesota Mobile Wellness and we will bring your self care to you!



Sincerely,