Stress and the holidays

2016-11-25 17:44:15 Patty Shirley

As the holiday season is coming upon us, it is time to be mindful of ourselves, our mental and physical health.  As much as this is a time of giving to others, it is a time to give to ourselves, as well.  By being aware of the amount of stress that can occur during this time of year, we can be mindful of being kind, caring and gracious to ourselves.

Here are some reminders of how to do great self-care during the holidays.

• Anticipate stress, whether it is the strong emotions that may arise from one more Christmas or office party, the challenges of finding someone that “perfect” gift, having others around us who may be indulging in unhealthy ways or spending “quality” time with friends and family that we rarely see.
• Identify the stressors and allow yourself time to feel the feelings, as uncomfortable as they might be.  Try expressing your feelings through journaling or art work.
• Have someone safe in your life to work through strong feelings, that won’t try to “fix” it all for you, but can be present for you, staying by your side and supporting you through this season.
• Recognize that there may be grief during this season.  Remember that grief isn’t necessarily due to someone dying.  Grief can be due to loss in our lives, when something ended up looking different than how we anticipated it to.  That’s grief.
• Don’t deny the strong feelings of grief that can often distract or blindside us, and send us on an emotional roller coaster with strong feelings of anger, denial, bargaining, or sadness.
• Take an inventory of somatic responses, stress that we hold in our bodies, such as pain, clenching of our jaw or fists, headaches, muscle tension in our shoulders, tightness or heaviness in our chest, upset stomach, sleep disturbances, dizziness, nausea, and more.
• Be intentional about choices we do have, such as how much we eat, drink, exercise, sleep and hydrate ourselves with water.
• Try to make wise choices when it comes to what we eat and drink.  I’m not saying to pass up the chocolate cheesecake or the warm spinach artichoke dip (two of my favorites!), but be mindful to not be overindulgent or be ok with passing it by this time, knowing that that special indulgence most likely will show up at another party in the next few weeks.
• Plan some “down” time for yourself, such as time alone to pray, to meditate, to sit still, to take time alone with God, to take a walk or hike, to cuddle with someone special or time to relax with friends and family, such as a movie or game night.

If life becomes overwhelming or daunting, getting the support that you need from others, can be crucial in this season.  This shouldn’t be the season of being overwhelmed, overloaded and overindulgent, but rather being well-grounded, well-balanced and well-intended.  

Happy holidays!

Couples, Women, Men, Holidays, Family, Stress