The holidays can be a joyful time to spend with family and friends.  Unfortunately for many the holidays can also be a very stressful time.   There is the over-booked calendar, the over-eating, the over-spending, the over-committing, the over-drinking, and generally the over-indulging that can put you over the edge. Even seeing family members can spark conflicting emotions and threaten your peace.  And each year as the holiday season seems to get longer and longer, there is more time for stress to manifest.   Managing stress effectively during the holiday season will help you give yourself the gift of health.

Although normal levels of stress can motivate and propel us to achieve great things, high levels of stress have a counter-productive effect on our immune system and health.  Stress, whether environmental, physical, mental, or emotional, leads the body to have the same physiological response. Chemicals are released in the body in reaction to stress such as adrenaline, epinephrine, and cortisol, increasing your blood pressure, heart rate, and insulin levels. In fact, chronic stress has been linked to many diseases such as hypertension, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and anxiety.

Taking a holistic approach to stress management during the holidays will allow you to create more serenity within and with those around you. While many of the ways to reduce stress are easy and fairly obvious, we often forget about them when we most need them.  A few tips to keep in mind are:

• Breathe!  Slowing the breath down can have a direct effect on lowering your heart rate and making you feel more relaxed. For a simple breathing technique that helps to decrease stress see the post on the 4-7-8-breathing technique.
• Sleep: Even small amounts of sleep deprivation can increase the body’s stress levels.  Try to aim for 8 hours of sleep a night.  Take advantage of times for naps and opportunities to sleep in. If you are experiencing difficulty sleeping, ask Dr. Knight about herbs and supplements that may help you to get a good night’s sleep.
• Eat a well-balance diet rich in fruits and vegetables, fiber, legumes, healthy protein sources, and complex carbohydrates while limiting foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates.  It can sometimes help to eat a healthy snack before going to a holiday party so that you are not as tempted to fill up on less healthy options such as fried foods, cookies and other sweets.
• Exercise for your sanity’s sake. Just 30 minutes a day — a brisk walk, a run, a bike ride, walking the dog, cross country skiing, or strength training — gives you a powerful tool to fend off stress. Exercise not only helps you manage weight and is good for your body, but it can help you de-stress and clear your mind.
• Consider alternatives to traditional gift giving such as offering services, a donation to a charity, or a homemade treat.
• Set time aside each day for just you– read, go for a walk, or linger over a relaxing cup of tea.

If you need more help with decreasing stress around the holidays or at any time during the year or if you are looking for more specific ways to manage stress Dr. Knight can develop an individualized plan for you.       

This exercise is utterly simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere. Although you can do the exercise in any position, sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.

This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass.

Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you. Use it whenever anything upsetting happens – before you react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension. Use it to help you fall asleep.