Call (760) 519-3740 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (760) 519-3740 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

15 Ways to Combat Holiday Stress

Posted by Rachel Brown, November 26, 2019

Stress can trigger a multitude of concerning symptoms at any time of year. But during the holidays, we’re all faced with busier schedules, long lines, crowds, and numerous pressures. It’s no wonder many people report a higher incidence of stress-related symptoms during the holiday season.

Stress will obviously affect your emotional health, and can lead to symptoms like anxiety or depression. But because emotional well-being impacts our overall health, very real physical symptoms can emerge during times of stress as well.

For example, we know that stress contributes to hypertension (high blood pressure) and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It can also weaken the immune system, leading to increased incidence of colds, upper respiratory infections, flu, and stomach bugs.

You might also notice increased heartburn, indigestion, constipation, or diarrhea during the holidays. And of course, headaches, insomnia, fatigue, and general aches and pains are common side effects of stress.

You definitely don’t want to face these issues during an already busy time of the year, so what can you do to lower stress? Try a few of these suggestions until you find what works best for you:

  • Stick to a regular sleep schedule
  • Eat nutritious foods and limit holiday “treats” (especially sugar)
  • Continue a regular exercise routine
  • Get outdoors for fresh air and sunlight daily
  • Eat a serving of citrus fruit daily
  • Schedule a massage
  • Try acupressure
  • Abandon old customs that bring you more stress than joy
  • Listen to relaxing music
  • Engage in a craft or art activity that feels soothing
  • Limit your social engagements, if you feel overscheduled
  • Spend time with a cat or dog; visit an animal shelter if you don’t have pets
  • Laugh; watch your favorite sitcom or comedian
  • Ask your doctor or nutritionist about supplements that might help you
  • See a therapist or counselor if you notice signs of depression

 

It’s okay to ask for help when you need it. If stress is causing you to feel depressed, or if you’re experiencing physical symptoms, talk to your loved ones or doctor about how you’re feeling. With a few changes to your routine or obligations, you can banish stress and invite more holiday joy into your life.

Need more information?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close