The comforting aromas of family recipes, the uplifting and warm atmosphere of a packed kitchen table, the flicker of candles and lights against the backdrop of a cold winter’s night—there’s nothing quite like the holidays. It’s a time to share gratitude, connect, and reinforce our cultural heritage.
But it’s safe to say that this year, the holidays are going to look a little different. But that’s okay. With a bit of resilience and some innovative solutions, we can all still make memories to be thankful for.
The 2020 holiday season is shaping up to be quite stressful for many of us. But the good news is that we are here to share some excellent strategies that you can start right away to ensure your holiday season is stress-free despite the unique challenges we all face.
Same Light, Many Candles
The months of November through January are bursting with an array of global holidays, including Diwali, American Thanksgiving, Bodhi Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve, to name a few. These holidays present us with a unique opportunity to gather, enjoy meals, exchange gifts, and celebrate our cultural heritage—and looking forward to them is something that gets us through the winter.
Stay Positive and Adapt
Like many aspects of 2020, we will have to be ready to adapt and change our expectations to continue with these cherished traditions, and with that comes stress. As humans, many of us do better when we know what to expect.
An estimated 40 million adults in the United States suffer from anxiety, or 18.1% of the population every year. Those with anxiety understand how the unknown can be extremely distressing, triggering a spiral of “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios.
We won’t say that the holidays won’t be different this year, but we will say you have a choice in how you let these changes affect you. Remember, stress is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the power of positive thinking can quickly flip the script on negative thoughts.
When Acute Stress Turns Chronic
Now that we’ve acknowledged the unique stressors of the 2020 holiday season, let’s talk about how focusing on them can turn into a problem for your health.
Your body is built to effectively process through episodes of acute stress—quickly recovering from short-term bouts. When you feel stressed by situations around you, your body will react by releasing the three major stress hormones, adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine. You will then feel your blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate skyrocket for a short period. That’s normal.
The problem starts when you live in a constant state of stress, whether it be due to a diagnosed disorder, flawed communication in the body, or extraordinary circumstances. This is when stress turns chronic and wreaks havoc on your body. As we addressed in a previous blog, living in fight-or-flight mode or a sympathetic state damages your health because your adrenals become fatigued.
Think of your adrenal glands as the battery that powers your survival in a stressful episode. Living in a sympathetic state can cause adrenal burnout because your body becomes unable to climb out of chronic adrenal fatigue. Always living in a state of chronic adrenal fatigue pummels your immune system, leaving you weak, tired, and unable to fight off illness.
But the good news is, you don’t have to suffer this fate. Read on for our top tips on how to deal with stress during the holidays!
Our 5 Best Tips to Relieve Holiday Stress
As a pillar of the Hache Protocol for Pain Resolution ™, stress reduction is something we’ve always prioritized for optimum health. Try these anxiety-busting strategies starting now if you’re not sure how to manage holiday stress.
- Do your Shopping Online—Avoid the crowds, lines, and panic of holiday buying and pick up your gifts online. thesanashop.com is a brilliant resource for presents that will spread the invaluable gift of continued health and wellbeing with those you love.
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- Microcurrent for Mental Wellbeing During the Holidays—Microcurrent therapy is a game-changer for mental health conditions like depression, stress, anxiety, and PTSD.
Try these protocols if you’re not sure how to deal with stress during the holidays:
Vagus Nerve Stimulation- The 10th cranial nerve, or the Vagus nerve, controls your body’s stress response. Stimulating this crucial neural highway with a microcurrent device like the Avazzia Life Evolution, or the Avazzia Pro Sport III, can be a turning point if your suffering from anxiety, depression, and stress. The beauty of this treatment is that you can do it right at home. Never worry again about appointments, waiting rooms, and disastrous side effects.
Conductive Ear Clips–Conductive Ear Clips will ensure your microcurrent device delivers the necessary algorithms for relaxation through your earlobes. Ear Clips work to calm the peripheral nervous system and stimulate reflexology points—soothing your body. Ear clips are an inexpensive accessory that will promote deep, healing sleep—another essential element to getting your stress under control.
- Give the Gift of Relaxation— Try mixing up a batch of this calming essential oil blend for personal use and gifts. It will deliver a comforting and nostalgic aroma that will have you kicking up your feet when everything seems chaotic.
Calming Holiday Essential Oil Blend Recipe
Ingredients:
- A carrier oil like almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, or coconut oil.
- 3 drops Frankincense
- 3 drops Blood Orange essential oil
- 3 drops Bergamot
- 3 drops Balsam Fir oil
Instructions:
Take a 10 ml glass roller bottle and add your carrier oil, making sure to leave room for the remaining essential oils. Cap the bottle and shake to blend. Roll the oil mixture on your wrists or neck when you start to feel stress coming on.
Additionally, you can add this exact mixture of oils (sans the carrier oil) to your diffuser to blanket your home in a soothing aroma that will harken back to simpler times.
- Reach out – if you’re feeling stressed this season, know that you’re not alone. Reaching out to friends and family to talk about your feelings can help combat feelings of loneliness and anxiety. And connecting with others is a win-win – rekindling a sense of community will help everyone cut down on stress!
- Step Back – This year provides an excellent opportunity to take a step back and assess what’s really important. Often, we get so caught up in preparing for a holiday that we forget why it’s so special in the first place. If you’re feeling stressed this year, consider taking a moment or two to step back and think about why you love the holidays so much. Maybe you can spend some time with family – whether in person or over the phone – to reminisce about winters past instead of trying to make this year perfect.
Go Forth and be Merry
The beauty and fighting spirit of humanity are what keeps us thriving in the face of adversity. Remember, the only constant in this world is change. If you can roll with the punches, you will find greater joy, health, and meaning in your life.
We hope you will consider incorporating some or all of our best tips to relieve holiday stress into your routine; it could be a game-changer for your happiness and enjoyment during this special time of year.
We are here to Support You
As we mentioned, the holidays can be tough for many, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Please reach out and join our free Pain Free for Life Support Group. If you’re looking for a positive, uplifting place to share your concerns, joys, and stress relieving tips, this is the place.
We all sure could use a little extra support and care this year— let’s resolve to be part of the solution together.