Reduce Holiday Stress

We all know that the holidays are the most stressful time of year. There are so many ways to be stressed out, so let’s go over some ways we can reduce holiday stress.

Guilt

The most detrimental aspect in harming our bodies over stress is guilt. We put an enormous amount of stress on our bodies when we’re feeling guilty about ourselves. It could be something we’ve done, something we ate, something we said; it doesn’t matter what it is, feeling guilty is incredibly stressful and weighs heavily on our bodies.

So if you want to reduce holiday stress find a way to let go of the guilt, apologize if you said something you shouldn’t of, realize there’s a new day to eat healthier, do something nice for the person you wronged. It doesn’t matter what it may be, taking small steps to let go of the guilt is key if you want to reduce holiday stress.

Gaining Weight

Many people gain weight over the holidays, in fact researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging discovered that 51% of annual weight gain occurs during the holiday season.  A National Institutes of Health study also showed that holiday weight gain is usually not lost during the spring or summer months.

See what happens is, not only are we eating more desserts or fatty/high sugary foods over the holidays but the stress also causes our cortisol levels to rise which means our body isn’t able to burn body fat efficiently but instead stores fat at a higher rate. Gaining weight is a significant reason it’s important to find ways to reduce holiday stress.

Sweets and Treats

There are many different things we can do to make healthy choices and avoid sweets and treats which will ultimately increase, not reduce holiday stress.

• There’s nothing wrong with bringing your own dessert for dinner, this way you know there will be a healthy option after dinner is over.
• Be sure to eat a well-balanced meal, when we have all the nutrients out bodies need, we don’t tend to crave so much
• Taste, not over indulge. There’s a difference and there’s nothing wrong with trying a few things, just be sure to pay attention to how much you’re consuming and try not to over indulge

Plan Ahead

• Be sure to plan ahead before holiday dinner. You don’t have to be the first one there, but you don’t need to be late either, but by taking your time you reduce the risk of being hungry and giving into the unhealthy appetizers usually served.
• Make sure you eat a meal before you go out for dinner or over to a friends, this way you’ll have a better plan and not look for dessert first!
• Plan a meal right after dinner, in fact cook it if possible. This way you know you have a meal waiting for you when you get home so you don’t stick around for seconds or thirds and enjoy an extra dessert.

Remember that it is possible to reduce holiday stress at this time of year, just take the proper steps before hand. If you’re conscious of how detrimental stress can be on your body, you’ll do a better job of avoiding it. If you know gaining weight isn’t lost like many people think after the holiday season you’ll do a better job of not over indulging. And if you plan ahead and stay away from the sweets and treats you widen your scope of success when it comes to ways that will help reduce holiday stress.