Tis the season to be stRESsssSssED… Or so it seems anyway. Are you dealing with holiday stress and want to reduce it?

With everything going on from parties, get together, present shopping, moving the stinking elf (AGAIN), and everything else stacked on your plate during this time of year, it’s understandable that your stress levels are at an all-time high.

Unfortunately, stressing out of control is bad for, well, pretty much everything.

So to help you out, I’m putting together some of the best ways you can keep your stress levels low this year.

First, let’s talk about…

why you want to keep your stress levels low.

I don’t know about you, but when I start getting stressed out, I feel it in my scalp the most. My scalp starts feeling tingly and tight, and it’s almost like I can feel the hairs either falling out or turning grey. I’m only 28 this is not acceptable! JK

Anyway…

Stress does change your physical appearance. Hair, skin, and nails all require collagen to be maintained. However, the stress hormone cortisol is the archnemesis of collagen. You see, as cave people, when we were stressed it was actually life-threatening. Your muscles and organs needed the nutrients more when under stress than your hair, skin, and nails did. So these areas not only got attacked by cortisol leaving them deficient in collagen, but they also got their other nutrients stripped away.

Well, our bodies still don’t know the difference between “I’m going to be eaten by a bear” stress and “omg life is so crazy and difficult right now because of work and the 8 million other things” stress. So it responds in the way it always knew how to – leaving you feeling (and looking) drained of nutrients and energy.

It’s not just your looks that are affected either. Your overall health begins to decline. As a result of prolonged periods of stress, you may experience

• lack of sleep
• grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw – leads to headaches and shoulder pain
• reduced self-control when it comes to eating
• increased substance use/abuse
• dysbiosis – an imbalance of your gut microbiome
• brain and systemic inflammation
• increased heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety, and irritability/mood swings
• increased risk of disease

Stress is really no joke. It’s so much more than just premature aging, it affects your entire life and your health.

So…

what can you do to reduce stress levels this holiday season?

You may have heard some of these before, but it never hurts to hear it again, and maybe in a slightly different way for it to sink in or finally hit home.

The power of NO

During the holiday season, we have a tendency to become extra people-pleasy ( I don’t think that’s a word but it is now!). We are supposed to be giving and caring and put others before ourselves. But sometimes you have too many people asking too many things of you and before you know it you’ve agreed to 14 things in one day.  Instead of being a yes-man or yes-lady, practice saying ‘no’ first.

I just listened to an audiobook by Jefferson Bethke (I listened to two of his books in a row so I don’t remember which one it was but both are worth listening to so it could have been “Take Back Your Family” or “To Hell with the Hustle”) and he mentions this in the book. They work towards serving people the best that they can, but they’ve started saying “no” and then talking about if it is something they feel is worth trading their family time for. If they change their mind, then they let the person know that if the offer is still on the table, they’re game, but if not then that’s okay too and they’ve still preserved their precious family time.

It’s a practice that I’m currently working on. When you’ve spent your whole life on the ‘yes’ side it’s hard to convert, but I’m slowly but surely getting more ‘no’s’ in and it sometimes feels cringy and terrible and other times it feels freeing and fantastic. All part of the process I think.

Something to remember (thank you for putting it this way Kate Northrup in the book Money Love):

Saying “yes” to others, means saying “no” to yourself. So make sure it’s worth it!

Budget BEFORE gift buying

This one is really hard for me. I get a bunch of ideas and then am like but wait they need this and that and those 13 things over there! But budgeting is a really great way to reduce your holiday stress levels.

NEWS FLASH! They don’t NEED any of it. And sometimes neither do our bank accounts. The thing that helped me control this urge the most was creating a Google Sheet ahead of time. On the sheet, I had a separate tab for each person. Then I listed out each item I wanted to get for them along with the price, place to buy it from, and whether I bought it or not.

I love Google Sheets because you can easily color code things or move them around so it’s organized and easy for your brain to do a quick glance and know what’s important. Having everything in front of me was SO helpful in not overspending. I had everyone in one place and all of their gifts in one place with the prices right in front of me. This not only saved me time in the long run, I also saved a ton of money and didn’t get unnecessary gifts that would get donated later the same year.

Prioritize sleep

Sleep is one of my favorite things. I’m a fantastic napper and on most days as soon as I lay down to sleep I knock out. I know this isn’t the same for most people. And on the days that I didn’t get a good sleep the night before I can tell that I’m a momster.

Sleep isn’t just a period of time wasted. Your body needs that time to rest and reset – kind of like a laptop or cell phone.  The positive effects of sleep are truly endless. But to name a few of the great benefits you’ll get as a result of a good sleep routine include:

• Better ability to regulate emotions and mood
• Improved microdiversity in your gut
• Reduced inflammation
• Keeps the brain healthy and may prevent neurodegeneration

If you’re struggling with getting to sleep you can try any of the following to see if it’ll help you rest easier and reduce holiday stress:

• Exercise a little longer during the day
• Try a guided meditation before bed
• Do restorative yoga – more calming and relaxing than some of the other classes
• Brain dump – write everything that is stressing you out on a piece of paper or type it up on the computer. As you do this, it’ll help your brain relax because it no longer needs to remember ALL the things because they’re now on paper
• Use the Breathe setting on your Apple watch. That thing doesn’t ding at you in the morning and evening for no reason. Doing these sessions at the beginning of the day and before bed allows your brain to quiet down, your muscles to relax, and your body to be flooded with oxygen and peace.

Make time for mindfulness

Your Apple watch reminds you of this, too. Mindfulness has been proven through studies to be a great way to reduce stress and become more productive. Mindfulness doesn’t have to be anything crazy. It doesn’t have to take long and it doesn’t have to be an intense routine. Mindfulness can be as easy as taking two minutes to be grateful for 5 things. It can be making a quick to-do list so you’re aware of what’s going on. It can be just breathing for 2 minutes and focusing on your breaths. Mindfulness isn’t meditation and a lot of people get that confused. It’s literally just the practice of being mindful and aware of yourself for one moment.

This article from the University of Washington is a great place to understand mindfulness and get some ideas on how to incorporate mindfulness into your everyday routines.

Book a massage to reduce holiday stress

Massage is a great way to reduce stress. Once you find a great therapist that you trust, it’s easy to go to an appointment and let them know what you need. I have clients who each time they come in they just want to sleep. I have other clients for whom each session is different. One time they want to talk and get a deep tissue/sports massage but then the next time they want to be quiet, listen to relaxing music, and fall asleep.

A study from Nature Journal showed that just 10 minutes of massage was enough to increase feelings of relaxation AND reduce subjective stress.  (Although I recommend getting a 60-minute massage to experience the full effect)

For relaxation, you’ll want to book a Swedish or hot stone massage.  Feel free to ask about essential oil options to increase your relaxation during the session. Some great oils for this are chamomile and lavender. If you need to be awake and refreshed after the massage opt for a minty or citrus scent, they can help you relax and then feel invigorated once the session is over.

Sangria for the stressed

Wine, as we all know, is full of heart-healthy polyphenols. Polyphenols are actually a great way to reduce and manage stress. They’re part of a plant’s stress response, so why wouldn’t they be able to help manage our stress, too? Polyphenols reduce inflammation, scavenge free radicals, fight oxidative stress, and improve your overall health. While wine is high in resveratrol, other fruits are high in different polyphenols. So dump out a bottle (or two) of wine (or grape juice if you don’t drink alcohol), slice up some citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, toss in some blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries, and enjoy yourself a nice glass of polyphenol-filled punch.

If you’re recovering from substance or alcohol abuse, you can absolutely make a punch and get the same effects.

These are just a few ways you can reduce stress during the holiday season for yourself. In what ways do you find you’re able to manage stress during this time of year? Let us know in the comments below!