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Holiday Stress
Do the holidays find you at the end of your rope?
During the months of November and December, most of us find ourselves faced with more choices, stress, and demands on our time and our energy. These stresses are, of course, related to the holidays celebrated during this season, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's. In addition, the end of the year wrap up at work leaves many of us scrambling to finish reports and projects. With our regular schedule changed to accommodate this extra shopping, food preparation, parties, family obligations, and work many of us find that our usual good health practices fall by the wayside.
It is possible, however, to experience these two months with your health and sanity in tact. You can take control of the situation, by maintaining the same flexible attitude that serves you so well throughout the rest of the year. In fact, holiday time can be time to test whether our healthy lifestyle habits are flexible enough to accommodate all of life's "little interruptions."
How do my food choices affect my stress level?
A big challenge during the holidays comes from the additional food choices, opportunities to overeat, and celebrations that are centered around food, usually high fat, high calorie food. The old diet mentality sets up unrealistic goals and says we must curb our urges to eat, drink, and be merry. Of course, we inevitably end up eating what we want and then fall into the "guilt" mentality where we go for all-or-nothing thinking: "Well, I've already had two cookies, I might as well eat the rest. I'll just go on a diet in January." This type of thinking does not work to maintain your healthy weight. What does work is striving to maintain a balanced eating plan throughout the holidays. There are times when food and celebration make perfect sense, so let yourself enjoy that favorite holiday dessert at lunch. Then balance that meal with a lowfat dinner. Or, if you have a high fat day, follow it with a lowfat day.
If you find yourself eating to cope with feelings of loneliness and anxiety often heightened by holiday stress, acknowledge that your reasons for eating are real, but not within your healthy lifestyle. Try to sort out what you are feeling and why. If you are having difficulty coping, seek support from a trusted friend or health professional.
How does exercise help?
Exercise can help you in a couple of ways during the holiday season. Exercise is helpful in relieving stress and maintaining your weight as well. Unfortunately, it is hard to fit in a structured activity program when your time is in demand. Instead of dropping exercise completely, replace the rigid, structured exercise with a more varied program. Try walking in the morning before the demands of work and family eat up your time. Better yet, get a neighbor or friend who will walk with you and keep you motivated. Suggest an ice skating party as part of your work or family get together. Even exercise videos can help you fit in a little activity until you have time to attend the classes after the holidays.
How does alcohol affect my stress?
It is always important to moderate your alcohol intake but especially during the holidays when you have more drinking opportunities, more driving to do, and for some people, loneliness and depression. Alcohol is a depressant, high in calories and low in nutrients. Too much alcohol can make you feel jittery, moody, and tired.
Drinking alcohol can also set up dangerous situations. Alcohol can interact in a negative way with prescription medications you may be taking. In addition, half of all traffic deaths in the U.S. are alcohol related. To moderate your alcohol intake try:
- Drinking your favorite non-alcoholic mixer complete with garnish.
- Sipping plain club soda, mineral water, or tomato juice with a twist of lemon or lime
- Drinking a sparkling grape or apple juice instead of wine
- Treating yourself to the "virgin" form of your favorite cocktail
- Sipping a fruit smoothie (pureed mixed fruit and juices) for an after dinner treat
- Drinking light wine or beer (But remember, this is still an alcoholic drink)
How can I cope with the holidays if I am grieving?
We must realize that, as grieving persons, we have definite limits. We do not function
at normal capacity. We must reevaluate our priorities and decide what is really
meaningful for ourselves and our families.
1. We must decide what we can handle comfortably and let these needs be
known to family, friends and relatives:
- whether or not to talk about our loved one openly
- whether we can handle the responsibility of the family dinner, holiday parties,
etc., or if we wish someone else to take over some of these traditional tasks - whether we will stay home for the holidays, or choose to "get away for a while"
to a totally different holiday environment this year.
2. Don't be afraid to make changes: it really can make things less painful!
- Open holiday gifts at a different time
- have dinner at a different time
- attend a different place of worship
- let others take over holiday tasks such as food preparation,
decorating the house.
3. Our greatest comfort may come in doing something for others. Some
people feel they can acknowledge their loss more meaningfully by:
- donating the money they would have spent on their loved one's gift to a
particular charity - adopting a needy family for the holidays
- inviting a guest (foreign student, senior citizen, etc.) to share
family festivities
4. Whether it's holiday baking, decorating the house, having a big family
dinner, ask these questions before making any decisions:
- have I involved or considered my other family members?
- do I really enjoy doing this? Do other family members really
enjoy doing this? - is this a task that can be shared by other family members?
Light a special candle in celebration of life and love shared. Be honest in what you expect to be able to do. Remember to Take One Day At a Time!
Be realistic and recognize that we need to set limits and do those things which are
meaningful to ourselves and our families.
Know that whatever you choose to do this year, you may decide to handle things
differently next year. Growth and change go hand in hand.
And don't forget that comforting discovery that many people have confirmed: the
realization that when that "special day" arrives, it's truly not as bad, by any means, as
we expected.
What else can I do to alleviate holiday stress?
Finally, take some time to reflect on what the holidays mean to you. Once you have determined what you truly want and need out of the holidays, it is much easier to let go of the perfect holiday scenario and let in a flexible, balanced lifestyle.
Other Related Web Sites:
American Psychological Association Coping with Holiday Stress
Stress Management for Patient and Physician
Written by Jean DuRussel-Weston, RN MPH CHES, Health Promotion Coordinator at the University of Michigan Health System
