Feeling extra stressed around the holidays? You are not alone. According to the Harvard Business Review, many people report feelings of stress increasing during the holiday season.
Coping with Holiday Stress
There are gifts to purchase and wrap, travel arrangements to make, tricky family relationships to navigate, and the pressure to make the holidays perfectly magical for those around us. And all of this is on top of the stress that we are usually feeling during the rest of the year—managing a work-life balance and family responsibilities, as well as feeling the pressure of a global pandemic and how it has affected our lives.
Types of Stress
There are many different types of stress. Some stress can be beneficial, such as a great workout. And some stress can be detrimental to our health. Acute stress can be dealt with by our body relatively quickly, and we should be able to recover easily. However, stress can be cumulative, making it more difficult to recover, or we can deal with chronic stress that holiday stress can exacerbate. Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of many health issues, including cognitive disorders, cardiovascular dysfunctions, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune syndromes, and mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Dr. Sarah Ballantyne writes that stressors can present themselves in our lives in a variety of ways:
- Physical (e.g., injury, a vigorous workout, sitting for prolonged periods, not getting enough sleep, extreme environmental temperatures)
- Sensory (e.g., loud noises, too-bright lights, overcrowding)
- Chemical (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, drugs, allergens)
- Psychological (e.g., deadlines, traffic, bills, societal and family demands)
All of these stressors can be amplified during the holidays. We might be sitting for extended periods in a car or a plane during holiday travel, adding to our physical stress. Sensory stress is quite prevalent during the holiday season—crowded shopping malls, or tree lighting ceremonies, and extra lights and music are everywhere this time of the year. Many chemical stressors can be more difficult to avoid during this season—maybe we need to spend time with the uncle that still smokes or have a coworker that enjoys toxic fragrances in the office. The extra psychological stressors can be overwhelming during this time of year, and much of it we put upon ourselves.
There are many different ways to mitigate the holiday stress we feel. Listed below are a few simple suggestions that can all help us de-stress. We can discover what suits us and our lifestyle best. Stress management strategies should not cause more stress—choose the strategies that sounds appealing to you.
Simple Steps to Counter Stress
1. Hydrate
This may sound super simple, but proper hydration helps cognitive function and improves mood. Dehydration can lead to headaches, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and fatigue, all of which can add to our stress levels. We recommend aiming to drink about half your body weight in ounces of water a day.
If that sounds like a herculean task, try breaking it down into more manageable increments. A few of our favorite tips include keeping a water bottle on your nightstand and taking a few sips first thing in the morning—it feels so good to rehydrate first thing in the morning. Some hot water with lemon can be comforting if it’s chilly, especially in your favorite holiday mug. And if out and about, keep your favorite water bottle in the car and make sure to take a few sips every half hour. You can even look for a sparkly holiday water bottle this season.
If you're feeling particularly stressed, try supplementing with electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium that are essential for supporting the adrenal glands. Our adrenal glands are responsible for our stress response hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline. We can support them by being adequately hydrated. Our adrenal glands also need electrolytes for optimal function, and stress can deplete our electrolyte stores.
2. Eat balanced meals and snacks, especially breakfast
Keeping blood sugar balanced can be key to helping reduce stress. Being on the blood sugar roller coaster is a physical stress on the body. If our blood glucose (blood sugar) drops, we can feel shaky, fatigued, or hangry, and our adrenals release cortisol (one of the stress hormones) to help raise those blood glucose levels. The way to avoid getting on the blood sugar roller coaster is to be sure to eat meals that include the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and to find the right timing of snacks and meals to support those stable blood sugar levels.
We also want to make sure to eat breakfast, optimally within an hour of rising. Skipping breakfast is associated with high cortisol levels and higher blood pressure. By making sure we are eating a well-balanced breakfast we can set our day up for successful blood sugar management, leading to less stress on our body.
A well-balanced breakfast can look like a smoothie with protein powder and some nut butter blended along with the fruit and veggies or a quick veggie and egg scramble with a slice of whole-grain toast.
Sometimes, taking ten minutes at the beginning of the week before grocery shopping to plan out meal and snack ideas can help us stay on the right track when it comes to balancing meals. Does a pear and a slice of cheddar cheese sound like a yummy snack this week? We can make sure we add enough of each to our grocery list to get us through the week, so we’re not tempted to raid the pantry for any leftover Halloween candy instead.
3. Look for nutrient density (with room for treats)
As we find ourselves extra busy during this season, it can be tempting to frequent the drive-thru or order takeout quite often. We can also be tempted to indulge more often than planned in holiday treats. And while there is nothing wrong with the occasional take-out or treat, we just want to make sure to nourish our bodies properly to feel our best and not put even more stress on ourselves. Stress can lead to nutrient deficiencies, so we want to make sure to consume plenty of nutrient-dense foods to counteract the effects of stress.
What is nutrient density? When we think about nutrient density, we can consider foods high in vitamins, minerals, slow-burning carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Think of foods like fruits and vegetables, seafood, eggs, grass-fed meats, as well as beans and nuts.
One of the best things about the holiday season is the abundance of special foods that can be extremely nutritious and nourishing for both body and soul. Think about which holiday seasonal foods are your favorites and really lean into the naturally nourishing ones.
Do you love butternut squash soup? Roasted brussels sprouts with dried cranberries? Shrimp cocktail? Pumpkin oatmeal? Stuffed mushrooms? A crisp apple with some almond butter? These are all some of the special holiday foods that help make the season festive, and they are also full of nutrients that our bodies need. Try adding some of your favorite “special” foods into your weekly food plans and enjoy that festive feeling while nourishing your body as well.
If you feel you don’t have time for cooking from scratch at home, take advantage of shortcuts. Grocery stores are full of shortcuts such as cleaned and pre-cut vegetables—from pre-diced onions and pre-cubed squash to ready-to-eat pomegranate pips and salad greens ready to eat. Also take advantage of meal-prep kits that are delivered straight to your door, removing the need to make last-minute grocery store runs or taking time to write a meal plan. We go into depth into many of these meal kit subscription plans here.
Taking care to include nutrient-dense foods leaves room to savor the special treats of the season. Restricting your favorite family traditions around food can lead to more stress. So, enjoy the goodies you love—from your favorite slice of pie to your neighbor's famous cookies, without shame or guilt. Just make sure to eat them in a relaxed state and enjoy every bite.
4. Support Proper Digestion
Poor digestion and stress are so intertwined, it can feel like a never-ending downward spiral. Eating while feeling stressed can lead to improper digestion and feelings of heartburn, bloating, nausea, constipation, and fatigue. Those symptoms can then lead to feelings of more stress—it can be hard to accomplish your to-do list or feel your best for a social event if you are experiencing any of those symptoms.
One of the simplest ways to help support digestion is to make sure to eat in a relaxed environment. If we are experiencing stress while eating, it is difficult for us to digest our food properly.
Take some simple steps before eating a meal or snack:
- Make sure you are sitting down to eat. No eating standing over the counter, while driving, or racing between appointments.
- Focus on enjoying your food and the people around you. Even if you are dining alone, try to turn the television off and refrain from doom scrolling Instagram.
- Take five deep belly breaths before starting your meal. This will help your body ease into a state of “rest and digest.”
- As you begin eating, really savor the fragrance and flavor of the food. Be sure to chew food thoroughly. This will give your brain time to start the digestive process.
5. Supplement where needed
Even if we prioritize proper digestion and nutrient density, we can still need a little extra support from supplements.
Studies have shown that stress contributes to magnesium deficiency. To learn more about magnesium, read this wonderful article about the Types of Magnesium.
Supplementing with Vitamin C is associated with a decreased cortisol response after experiencing stress.
A good quality multi-vitamin be useful in filling some of the gaps we might be missing in our diet. This article is helpful in finding the right multi-vitamin for you.
A B vitamin complex can be helpful for blood sugar regulation and mood.
Omega 3 fatty acids can help with feelings of fatigue and depression.
Bonus #1 Prioritize Sleep
Stress can interfere with our ability to fall asleep and with the quality of our sleep. Conversely, poor sleep can lead to higher stress levels during the day. There are quite a few things we can do to support a good night’s sleep.
- Set a regular bedtime and stick to it. Netflix will be there tomorrow.
- Create a dark and cool bedroom space.
- Establish a nighttime routine—this can include taking some time to read or meditate, taking a warm shower, or listening to soothing music.
- Taking a magnesium supplement before bedtime can help us relax and enjoy more restful sleep.
Bonus #2 Practice Mindfulness
There have been numerous studies that associate the benefits of mindfulness with reducing stress. Including mindfulness in our daily routine can significantly impact our stress levels, sleep quality, and overall mood. Simply taking five deep breaths when feeling pressure creeping in can have immediate benefits. If you are unsure where to start with a mindfulness practice, we have an article that you might find helpful—Mindful Holidays.
Bonus #3 Gentle Movement
We discussed previously in this article how physical exercise is a stress on the body. We don’t want you to give up your favorite workouts, however, but in order to reduce the stress we put on the body, we can try to incorporate some more gentle movement into our fitness routines. If you don’t currently have a fitness routine, this can be a wonderful time to add some gentle movement to your day. Simply walking or a gentle yoga flow can help lower stress levels. Enjoy a simple evening walk around the neighborhood, enjoy the holiday lights, or search for a five-minute relaxing yoga flow online and include that in your morning routine.
Choosing to take care of ourselves by implementing some of the above strategies will help to maintain balance throughout this holiday season. We don’t need to choose ALL the strategies—just start with the ideas that resonate with you and experiment with them to find what works best.
Remember, you don’t need to be perfect this holiday season (or ever). Prioritize taking care of yourself and protecting your health, so you can focus on the things that are truly important to you this holiday.
Need a bit of extra support this holiday season when it comes to your health and diet? Or know someone else who would? Reach out to one of our nutrition practitioners, and we will build a personalized plan to make sure you are feeling your best during this busy time of year.
About the Author
Karen Deputy, NTP. Karen became a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner after her own medical crisis and autoimmune diagnosis led her on a journey of discovering how vital proper nutrition is to feeling happy and healthy. She became passionate about helping others regain their energy and sense of well-being through food and lifestyle choices. Karen lives in Southern California with her family and can be found outdoors most of the time. She loves helping clients find the joy of creating delicious foods that nourish their mind, body and spirit. Read more about Karen.
The information presented on this website is intended for educational purposes only. Statements within this site have not been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any specific condition or disease, nor is it medical advice and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise. Readers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health conditions or concerns. One should always consult a qualified medical professional before engaging in any dietary and/or lifestyle change or new health program. Curated Wellness does not take responsibility for any health consequences of any person or persons following the information in this educational content.
References
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