During the holiday season, stress and anxiety often come along with the festivities. Parties, shopping, cleaning, baking, and entertaining can all contribute to feeling overwhelmed. Reducing stress is essential for maintaining your overall health, as it can improve your mood, boost immune function, promote longevity, and increase productivity. If you let stress get the best of you, you may increase the risk of developing a range of illnesses from the common cold to heart disease. Let’s examine the science of stress, its effects on your health, and ways to minimize stress during the holidays.
The Science of Stress
When you become stressed, the brain undergoes chemical and physical changes that affect its overall functioning. During periods of high stress, certain chemicals in the brain, including the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, begin to rise. This leads to the release of larger amounts of “fight-or-flight” hormones, such as adrenaline, by the adrenal glands. The release of these chemicals contributes to various physiological effects, including rapid heart rate, higher blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. When left unmanaged over time, chronic stress can result in the development of other serious health problems, such as stomach ulcers, stroke, asthma, and heart disease.
Physical Effects of Stress
Many healthcare professionals consider chronic stress a significant risk factor for illnesses like cancer and heart attacks. One reason is that our body’s physical reactions to continuous stress may accumulate slowly and go undetected while we try to adapt to the ongoing stress. However, even if it seems we’re building tolerance to stress, our nervous system is still dealing with an overload that can seriously affect overall health in the long term. Stress also takes a toll on your digestive system, causing disruptions that may result in nausea, pain, vomiting, heartburn, constipation, acid reflux, or diarrhea.
Psychological Effects of Stress
Stress can also contribute to mental and emotional disorders, including depression, anxiety, phobias, and panic attacks. Emotional stress can make it challenging to focus, make decisions, think things through, or remember things. While the physical effects of stress can be overwhelming, it’s essential not to ignore these psychological effects, as they also play a significant role in overall health and vitality.
Stress Management Techniques
To shift into a healthier pattern and reduce stress, one of the most effective and rewarding techniques is meditation. Meditation encourages you to relax your mind and examine your inner self with honesty and compassion instead of judgment and criticism. Meditation practice helps you let go of old patterns of stress, tension, and distraction and promotes a more relaxed state where your innate healing capacity can emerge. Committing to just 15 minutes of daily meditation and deep breathing can have profound benefits.
In addition to meditation, try these stress-reducing tips:
- Engage in regular moderate exercise, such as walking, yoga, or swimming. Exercise releases positive, stress-busting endorphins, and can increase self-confidence and lower anxiety and depression symptoms. Regular exercise also helps improve sleep, which can be affected by stress, depression, and anxiety.
- Eat a healthy whole foods diet rich in dark greens, healthy fats, and adequate proteins. Nutrition is helpful for treating stress. Since chronic stress can strip your body of essential B vitamins, it’s important to obtain these nutrients, as well as magnesium and calcium, through diet or supplementation. Whole grains and legumes are good sources of these nutrients.
- Avoid caffeine and sugar, as these stimulants can contribute to stress and depression.
By employing these strategies during the holiday season, you can reduce the likelihood of stress and anxiety and enjoy a happier, healthier time with friends and family. Remember, self-care is essential not just during the holidays but all year round. Utilize these techniques to manage stress and improve your overall well-being.
