When we think of the holidays we smile with nostalgic visions of
celebrations, roasting chestnuts, caroling, crackling fires, happy
Cleaver-like families, and everything we asked for under the 'ol
Christmas tree. As much as the holidays bring love, holiday cheer,
& family gatherings so do the winter blues, stress, anxiety, and
especially the financial pressure to buy gifts, travel or entertain.
For many, the holidays are the hardest time of the year - emotionally,
psychologically, financially, spiritually & physically. With the
economy and consumer confidence at its lowest point since the great
depression, families are struggling more than ever with finding a
healthy balance between work, home & personal needs. Welcome to one
of the most stressful periods of the year and this year is bound to be
one of the most stressful. According to a 2006 survey by the American
Psychological Association, 44% of women and 31% of men report
increased stress over the holidays.
Stress
is different for everyone and what may be stressful for one person may
not be stressful for another and stress appears in many different
ways. Stress is a growing epidemic taking a serious toll on our
physical health, mental health, and spiritual health with the majority
of Americans are living with moderate to high levels of stress
according to the APA. Stress that is not managed can have dire
consequences without help and change.
According
to a University of California at San Diego study from 1973-2001,
deaths from heart disease peak in December and January with it spiking
on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.1 Stress is linked to
the top six leading causes of death and is another large contributing
factor to "Merry Christmas Coronary" and the "Happy New Year Heart
Attack". "Although there can be many causes for a heart attack,
stress during the holidays has become more frequently associated with a
higher number of heart attack patients," says Kelly Larkin, MD, emergency department medical director, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital.2
Also
the increase of depression and anxiety during the holidays as well.
However, despite popular belief, the increase in suicides during the
holidays is a myth according to Mayo Clinic.
There
is no avoiding stress, but there ways to better manage your stress
levels. Oooooooook? So how do we conquer this holiday stress?
First,
in order to change the effects of your stress, you have to learn to
recognize and identify when you're feeling stressed and become more
aware of the signs, symptoms, and triggers. Your body tells you
everything you need to know by sending you signs and signals. Are you
listening to them?
Some of the early signs of stress can include:
Unhealthy eating habits
Irritability
Fatigue
Muscle tension especially in your shoulders and neck
Headaches
Here are some statistics from the American Psychological Association's (APA) 2010 Survey*
Overweight
Children report to be more likely to have trouble falling asleep
(15%), have headaches (15%), eating too much or too little (32%), or
feel angry and getting into fights (9%) than non-overweight children,
which are often symptoms of stress.
Money (76%), work (70%) and the economy (65%) remain the most cited
sources of stress for Americans during this time of "Non" Depression.
Parents report similar sources of stress citing money (80% ), work
(72%), and the economy (72%) as stressors, and 73% also report that
family responsibilities.
"While the majority of parents don’t think their children are
strongly affected by their stress, children report otherwise. Nearly
three-quarters (69 percent) of parents say that their stress has only a
slight or no impact on their children, yet 91 percent of children
report they know their parent is stressed because they observe a
multitude of behaviors, such as yelling, arguing and complaining." *
The most common reason for not managing stress well enough is "too busy or not having enough time".
"Two-fifths of adults reported overeating or eating unhealthy foods because of stress in the past month".
One-third skipped a meal due to stress in the past month.
More than four in ten report laying awake at night in the past month.
"The most common physical symptoms of stress reported were
irritability (45%), fatigue (41%) and lack of energy or motivation
(38%)."
The
next step is to choose a way to deal with your stress. For instance,
no matter how dire your situation, find something positive in your life
to focus on and find gratitude in that. You can not change how
someone treats you or what situations have been given to you, BUT you
can choose how you react to them. Another way, is avoidance. However,
avoiding the event or thing that gives you stress is not always
possible especially if that is family. So the better way is changing
your thoughts and how you react to people, things or situations.
As you go through the holiday season pay attention to you - not the ego self, but the inner you!
Here are some tips for dealing with holiday stress:
You can't change what you can not control. So why worry? How is that going to make your situation better?
Identify your triggers. Knowing what triggers your stress, gives
you time to prepare and prevent toxic holiday stress from ruining your
holidays.
Stay positive and try to see the good in every situation.
Eat a well balanced diet for your needs
Get plenty of sleep
Avoid toxins such as cigarettes, alcohol and caffeine.
You can say NO. Do not over commit yourself and over schedule
Seek alternative therapies such as reiki, meditation, acupuncture or massage therapy.
Avoid conflict and try to resolve existing conflict the best you can.
See every adversity as a chance to grow, excel and be better than before.
Find a healthy outlet to reduce stress such as yoga, exercise, tai chi, painting, or hiking.
Find balance - Your mind, body, and spirit equally need relaxation and attention.
If you have health issues such as heart disease, don't delay
seeking medical attention. The delay in seeking medical attention is
cited as one of the reasons for an increase in heart related deaths.
Check out our calender few upcoming events that can help keep you balanced,
increase clarity, reduce stress, and bring more love, peace, and
understanding to your life. Meditation for instance has been clinically proven to reduce stress and is the oldest method for stress reduction around.
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