Stress and the Holidays – How are You Coping?
As the favorite Christmas song goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” but is it? Don’t get me wrong, Most people love the holidays. It’s a chance to get together with families, exchange presents and eat like there’s no tomorrow.
The problem is that for many of these same people, the very things listed above can contribute to stress.
Holidays brings too many activities at once. A recent study by a health group has found that commonly reported stresses in the time of holiday are related to these things. They are stressed about their finance, thoughts and the memories related to dear ones who have passed away recently.
Being alone and also spending too much time with family are the other things that brings stress.
Of those who reported additional stress, people of color (specifically Latinos and Native Americans) and women reported the most stress. Parents, as compared to people with no children also reported more stress.
Most people get stressed by the following spending too much time with family without knowing what to do. During holidays many people ask me and write to me seeking help reducing their stress level. Most them can be helped by knowing what their stresses are but I wonder by the number of people who already know their stress.
My clients thought they will be more stressed for a very long term by avoiding the family. Avoiding the stress is not an option for many of my clients.
Many people report depression, anxiety, illness and feeling down on January 2nd. It is basically wrong with the thought that we have to just get through the holiday’s.
Why would this happen after the stressful event(s)? This is because stress, unmanaged, can take a huge toll on one’s mental AND physical health.
If you cannot save extra money for holidays then the best thing to do is cutting back and get creative on gifts. Given our present economic crisis the first thing a person need to do is budget every expenditure. This is how the stress can be managed.
You can get into agreement with your extended family and friends that you will be swapping gifts or you only get gifts for kids. Most people who are likely to be in your situation might be actually relieved from this suggestion. Never feel that you have get a gift for everyone.
When you are hosting a meal you can request some specific food items from your friends. And you need not to be responsible for everything. Moreover, you can also split up the cost of the get-together so that it might not be burden on one person or family.
Also important is to take time for you, even if only an hour a day. Go for a jog, do yoga, read a book or even take a bath. As long as you are focusing on only you – this is the key.
Already the holidays are very much focused on kids. One need not to feel guilty getting away from children for an evening to enjoy yourself as couple or single. You can also go to a holiday specifically for adults.
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Christian Goodman is a well known health researcher and author of several revolutionary natural alternative healthsystems. One of his many breakthroughs is his natural migraine and headache program. You can know more about Christian on his Natural Health Alternative Blog.