Navigating Holiday Stress: Tips for Prioritizing Your Overall Wellness
Leave a CommentThe holidays create lots of excitement and cheer but may also bring a lot of stress and anxiety. The pressure of making it a “good” holiday, grief, and the busy tendencies of the season can all because that lead to stress. We can do many things to alleviate stress and anxiety during these times, bringing more joy to the season. Try these tips to prioritize your overall wellness this holiday season.
1. Schedule Down Time
Scheduling time for yourself during the busy season is essential. Ensure you are giving your body rest and time to recharge for overall wellness.
Recommendation: Even if you have just five extra minutes, go outside and walk a lap around your house, work, etc.
2. Practice Deep Breathing
Deep breathing does two things to help when feeling overwhelmed. The first is that it forces you to slow down, which is a great way to manage stress and feeling overwhelmed. Deep breathing exercises also activate your diaphragm, which is a muscle involved in our “fight or flight” response. Slowing down breathing helps to slow down that response in the system.
Recommendation: During stressful times, walk away and take five deep breaths.
3. Drink a Cup of Water
Determining how much water to drink in a day is difficult and very dependent on each person, and their current health status. On average, men should drink approximately 124 ounces of water and women should drink approximately 92 ounces of water3. Drinking water not only helps the body maintain its normal resting state but also forces a person to slow down during a time of over-stimulation.
Recommendation: Drink five sips of water every hour you are awake. This will make your drinking purposeful and also force you to slow down.
4. Exercise
Exercise is a wonderful gift we can give to ourselves. Exercise can look different for everyone. Exercise could mean walking with friends, attending a group exercise class, lifting weights, or playing pickleball. It doesn’t matter what form of exercise you decide to try; just get your body moving. Exercise releases endorphins, which is a natural neurotransmitter the body releases to “feel good.”
Recommendation: Choose a form of exercise and participate for at least 30 minutes 3-5 days per week.
5. Seek Professional Support
In 2022, 50 million Americans utilized mental health resources2. Counseling may be a beneficial resource for dealing with the increased stresses of life. A counselor or mental health professional can help to develop coping and stress management strategies to improve one’s feeling and ability to handle difficult situations.
Recommendation: Start by searching online for a provider who fits your needs and talk to family members and friends who may have a recommendation.
Stress can take a physical toll on the body and cause increased pain and tightness, leading to physical symptoms and injuries. If you feel like your stress is contributing to your physical pain, schedule a free assessment with Athletico. They can provide recommendations for your care and answer any questions or concerns you may have.
*Per federal guidelines, beneficiaries of plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA and other federally funded plans are not eligible for free assessments.
The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.
References:
1. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/stress
2. https://mhanational.org/issues/2022/mental-health-america-adult-data
3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
4. https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/covid-19/2020/04/when-youre-stressed-go-outside/#:~:text=When%20you%20move%20your%20body,and%20decreases%20your%20heart%20rate.
5. Determining how much water to drink in a day is difficult and very dependent on each person and their current health status. On average, men should drink approximately 124 ounces of water and women should drink approximately 92 ounces of water3. Drinking water not only helps the body to maintain is normal resting state, but also forces a person to slow down during a time of over-stimulation.
6. Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress – Mayo Clinic
