Anxious For The Holidays?

 

Are You Feeling Anxious For the Holidays?
Are You Feeling Some Holiday Blues?
Whatever Your Current Emotional State,
Stress Reduction is Right For You!

Excessive or frequent amounts of stress is unhealthy for overall health and wellness. It is well documented that stress, if not addressed, can lead to feelings of depression, severe anxiety, and disease.

Stress Symptoms:

There is a vast amount of symptoms for stress, but here are some common ones to name a few:

• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Frequent illness
• Panic attacks
• Emotional distress or moodiness i.e. irritability
• Worry
• Acne
• Digestive issues
• Nausea
• High blood pressure
• Nervous system dysregulation
• Headaches
• Restlessness
• Dizziness
• Muscle tension
• Aches or pains
• Decreased libido
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Feeling overwhelmed or burnt out
• Memory problems
• Racing thoughts
• Eating more or less

Stress occurs when our bodies and / or minds are consistently overwhelmed. This can put us in a state of "sympathetic nervous system dominance". 

The Nervous System:

Our nervous system includes our brain, spinal cord, and all adjacent nerves. It can be broken down into two main parts: Our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. 

Sympathetic Nervous System:

This system is known as our "fight or flight" system. It is great at protecting us from short-term threats and dangers. When the brain senses stress, it tells the body to release stress hormones which increase blood pressure, dilate the pupils, give you energy, etc. in order to prepare your body to safely react. It works hand-in-hand with the parasympathetic nervous system. 

ParaSympathetic Nervous System:

This system helps to calm the sympathetic nervous system back down once it has been triggered; however, if the stressor remains present, the parasympathetic nervous system cannot do its job appropriately. When the sympathetic nervous system is constantly in demand, it dominates... leading to nervous system failures. 

Stressors:

Examples of some stressors can include:

• Physical
• Excessive exercise
• Poor diet and nutritional intake
• Illness
• Emotional / Mental
• Loss of a loved one
• Relationship changes
• Familial dysfunction
• Abuse
• Environmental
• Financial crisis
• Educational
• Workplace

3 Phases of Depression:

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Also known as seasonal depression, is a mood disorder which occurs at the same time each year (typically around the fall and winter seasons). This disorder can be especially difficult around the holidays. Here are some tips:

• Ensure you are getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin D
• Make an effort to go on walks, even when it is cold outside
• Surround yourself in environments with lots of lights
• Socialize with loved ones frequently
• Make time for hobbies

Holiday Stress Relieving Activities

Halloween

• Make hot chocolate with whipped cream on top
• Watch scary movies with a blanket and popcorn
• Throw a Halloween party
• Go to a haunted house with some friends
• Participate in pumpkin carving or painting
• Decorate the house
• Put together a costume
• Doorbell ditch a house (kindly and at a reasonable hour)

Thanksgiving

• Write in a gratitude journal
• Bake something new
• Provide acts of service
• Call or text a family member
• Bring a dinner (home-cooked or bought) to a neighbor
• Decorate the house
• Place fall scents around the house
• Light some relaxing candles

Christmas

• Make some peppermint hot chocolate
• Go caroling with some friends
• Bring a gift to some neighbors
• Decorate the house
• Make gingerbread men
• Bake a Christmas treat
• Strengthen your spirituality 
• Watch Christmas movies with a blanket and caramel popcorn
• Go window shopping
• Provide a random act of service for a stranger
• Decorate the house
• Play in the snow (or travel to somewhere with snow)
• Read a Christmas story
• Make a gingerbread house with family
• Look at Christmas lights

New Year's Eve & Day

• Plan a party to celebrate with loved ones
• Make reasonable new year's resolutions & goals
• Reflect on the past year with acceptance
• Get sparklers and take a picture
• Make a wish
• Host a game night
• Drink some Martinelli sodas or make some punch

Healing From Anxiety And Depression

Healing, especially from mental illness, is a process. Below are some tips that can help!

1. Seek care by going to a healthcare professional. They can direct you to counseling and support if needed.
2. Consistent chiropractic care

The spine consists of 24 vertebrae which carefully encase the most important organ system in the body known as the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS is vital to providing support for every bodily system in order to function properly. These systems include: 

• Digestive System
• Pancreas
• Colon
• Esophagus
• Nutrition
• Weight
• Liver
• Urinary System
• Bladder
• Kidneys
• Musculoskeletal System
• Muscles & Bones
• Tendons
• Movement
• Integumentary System
• Skin
• Cardiovascular System
• Heart & Blood Vessels
• Endocrine System
• Thyroid
• Pituitary
• Hormones
• Adrenals
• Lymphatic System
• Lymph Nodes
• Respiratory System
• Lungs
• Reproductive System
• Ovaries & Testes
• Immune System
• Infection
• Disease 
• Cells

Each of these systems work together to support the body as a whole. Efficient communication between all bodily systems is required for the body to be healthy and function efficiently.

Message Sent From Brain ➤ Spinal Cord ➤ Nerves ➤ Organs ➤ Body Function

Example

Brain send message *Digest Food* by sending information through the ➤ Spinal cord ➤ which travels to the corresponding nerves ➤ The organ (colon) receives the message ➤ Body successfully digests food

Because the spinal cord extends to each organ system via nerves, if even a single vertebrae is out of line, the slightest pressure placed on a nerve may be enough to compromise the signal from the brain to the spinal cord, and then to the organ system; therefore decreasing efficiency and leading to disease.

Proper and consistent chiropractic care is necessary to maintain proper spinal alignment and reduce bodily stress.

3. Practice having gratitude & attitude

"Whether in terms of enhancing mental health or preventing mental illness, gratitude is one of life's most vitalizing ingredients. Clinical trials indicate that the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting positive effects in a person's life. It can lower blood pressure, improve immune function, promote happiness and well-being, and spur acts of helpfulness, generosity, and cooperation. Additionally, gratitude reduces lifetime risk for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. Whether it stems from the acceptance of another's kindness, and appreciation for the majesty of nature, or a recognition of the gifts in one's own life, gratitude enhances nearly all spheres of human experience. Beyond its ability to create tangible benefits, so many people cherish simply feeling grateful for its own sake. Some of the best moments in life are those in which we sense we have been the beneficiary of goodness freely and generously bestowed onto us. 

A number of rigorous, controlled experimental trials have examined the benefits of gratitude. Gratitude has one of the strongest links to mental health and satisfaction with life of any personality trait--more so than even optimism, hope, or compassion. Grateful people experience higher levels of positive emotions such as joy, enthusiasm, love, happiness, and optimism, and gratitude as a discipline protect us from the destructive impulses of envy resentment, greed and bitterness. People who experience gratitude can cope more effectively with everyday stress, show increased resilience in the face of trauma-induced stress, recover more quickly from illness, and enjoy more robust physical health." 1

 A couple things that help to have a heart of gratitude can include:

• Keeping a gratitude journal
• Record in a journal, daily, the things you are grateful for
• Reflect on them often
• This also helps you process emotions rather than suppress them
• Practicing Mindfulness

"One of the first steps in gratitude practice is attention. Attention is noticing and becoming aware of blessings that we normally take for granted. It is tuning into the many reasons for gratitude that already exist in our lives... Focusing techniques that enhance attentiveness (such as mindfulness meditation) will be effective in increasing one's appreciation for the simple blessings of life and in banishing incompatible thoughts from consciousness". 1

4.  Be Consistent with Exercise & Diet

• Exercise
• A couple of my favorite workout apps that are FREE
• "FitOn"
• "Blogilates"with Cassey Ho
• A great exercise to try is high intensity interval training (HIIT). This type of workout is short and sweet. People of all ages can participate by following the pattern in the image below.

• Diet
• Having a goal to try to eat at least one vegetable and fruit at every meal is a good start if you don't have a lot of fruit or veggies in your diet to begin with. 
• Nutrients that support brain and overall health include
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin D
• Potassium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Omega-3

And if you find these tips hard at first, remember as madame Leota says in Disney's Haunted Mansion:

Give These Tips A Try, And Enjoy Your 

Holidays Stress-Free! 

1. Emmons, R. A., & Stern, R. (2013). Gratitude as a psychotherapeutic intervention. Journal of clinical psychology, 69(8), 846-855. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54694fa6e4b0eaec4530f99d/t/565f5969e4b05a14ac75ee6c/1449089385801/Gratitude