Abby's

Page 40| Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com Tips for Reducing Stress Levels during the Holidays e holidays are here – and for many, stress will be an unwelcome guest. University of Maryland psychology lecturer Dr. omas Capo says that holiday stress can be conquered by following some common sense tips that aim to help body, mind, and pocketbook. "Your quality of life need not be diminished because of holiday stress," says Capo. Here are his 10 tips to reducing stress this holiday season: 1 e holiday season is a time when you are (or should be) able to kick back, relax, and enjoy the company of your loved ones and friends. So, the first step is to simply relax and enjoy yourself and your family and friends. In order to enhance your enjoyment, here are some slightly more specific suggestions, categorized according to the area(s) of your life most likely to be affected. Your Health 2 Stress happens. Over the short term, we can do a pretty good job of dealing with it. It's our body's normal response to stressors in our environment. We can usually handle our stress over the short term. Trouble comes when the stress response is ongoing for an extended period of time. en, our sleep can be disrupted, and we might put on some unwelcome weight. Most importantly, our immune system can become compromised when we're subjected to an extended period of stress. One thing we can do it set aside a little time each day to engage in some kind of stress reducing activity. Anything that "calms us down" will do, whether it consists of reading, listening to music, yoga, meditation, or a hobby etc. 3 Many of us have been guilty of overeating or drinking too much alcohol during the holidays. Try to eat right and avoid over doing it with the booze. Either one can bring about sleep problems. It has been well documented that not getting enough sleep causes your body to produce an excessive supply of stress hormone. A vicious cycle now begins, because the stress hormone can cause weight gain even if your caloric intake is not higher than normal. So you can put on weight, even though you were "trying to be good" about not overeating over the holidays. 4 Try your best to avoid being in a big rush to get wherever you are going (on any particular day) during this time of the year. Again, you want to do the best you can to avoid a major increase in stress hormone levels.

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