DEALING WITH STRESS
WHEN IT HITS
Follow these simple steps to help manage stress this holiday season.
Eat right
“Consistent, well-balanced meals keep your body running efficiently,”
said Britney Wolfe, clinical dietitian at Kootenai Health. “Skipping
meals or overeating can increase levels of stress. Likewise, stress can
lead to overeating—especially sugary, high-fat foods. Some people
have the opposite reaction and eat less. Both reactions decrease your
body’s ability to overcome everyday challenges.”
So what should you do? Britney suggests eating a consistent, well-
balanced diet with a variety of foods.
“Be aware of your eating habits,” she said. “Begin a food diary to
track what you eat and drink for a week, including times and notes
about your feelings. You may begin to notice a pattern.”
Once you are aware of your habits, shift them to focus on:
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Making regular mealtimes a priority.
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Eating a variety of foods and being aware of your feelings of hunger
and satiety.
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Identifying other ways to cope with your emotions. Ask for support
from family and friends. If you find yourself having recurrent epi-
sodes of overeating with feelings of being out of control, consider
seeking the help of a qualified health professional.
Exercise
Most people know exercise increases your overall health and sense of
well-being, but did you know it can also reduce stress?
“Exercise helps to bump up the production of your brain’s feel-
good neurotransmitters, called endorphins,” Gail Garrett-Anderson,
physical therapist at Kootenai Health, said. “Exercise is meditation
in motion. It helps you forget some of the day’s irritations and ten-
sions and allows you to redirect your focus to your body’s motions.
Exercising regularly also helps to carry over stress reduction in your
regular daily activities.”
Gail said exercise also helps improve your mood, lower some of
the symptoms of mild depression and anxiety, and improve your
self-confidence.
“Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to yoga, can act as a
stress reliever,” she said. “Choose an activity that you enjoy and will
want to keep up, and remember to make time for it. Sometimes it’s
hard to set aside time, but even doing three 10-minute walks a day
will help.”
If you have a hard time going to the gym, Gail suggests doing
simple activities at home such as aerobics, jumping rope or walking.
“Holidays can bring a whole new level of stress, but it’s important
to continue to find time to fit in some exercise to help you juggle the
added stress,” she said. “Remember a little activity goes a long way.”
be able to afford large, expensive
items, and others may not,” she
said. “In order to spare feelings,
especially if children are involved,
it may be better to just focus on
the family gathering and appreciate
being together.”
In order to set proper expectations
for children, Char said to limit the
amount of media children are ex-
posed to approaching the holidays.
“Limiting ad exposure can help
reduce the number of ‘wants’ they
have,” she said. “We try to shift our
traditions to focus on family and
giving rather than getting. Have your
child include a list of ‘wants’ for
others rather than just for him- or
herself.”
Changing perspective or compli-
cated traditions and focusing on
the real meaning of the holidays all
help Char and her family to “keep it
simple and keep it real.”
“It’s okay to evolve tradition,”
Char said. “You just have to give
yourself permission to change and
create the holiday experience that’s
best for you and your family.”
KH . ORG
15
SEASONAL HEALTH
