Good Lifestyle

You do not need us to tell you that Christmasis not always a joyful affair. Given all the requests for gifts, the preparation of the decoration of the house, the crazy work deadlines of the end of the year, bodies of cooking, endless festivals and all these runes feared with literally each Member of your family, the holiday season can easily cause even the most emotional health and the intelligent person to start cracking.

But do not be afraid! We are here to help. The following is the most complete list you can find ways to survive holidays - and all the constraints that are accompanied - without having nothing like a panic attack. So read and have a good holiday. (Seriously!)

You can fight these feelings to be submerged, says approved clinical psychologistNicole Issa, psy.d., evolving your concentration on the here and now.

"Count the holiday decorations in a store, like the number of Santas you see while shopping," says Issa. "If you are at aholiday party or meals, focus on the taste of food. Count how many times you chew every bite. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it allows you to "tune your environment" and divert your attention from these concerns.

"Choose where the time of decoration, shopping, etc. will come preferably rather than thinking that you can do everything, become frustrated when you can not, and that things are missing from poor quality or having poor quality, "saysDr. Eddie O'Connor, PhD, CMPC,A representative for theAssociation for the psychology of applied sport. "If you add something, choose what you will subtract that day."

We all have all parents who can not help but express their opinions about your life choices. Do not let their comments federate angrily in your mind. "Let your parents or other family members know early that you appreciate their contribution and that you and your spouse are both adults and decide what you want for your family," saysRabbi Shlomo Slatkin, MS, LCPC,A certified imago therapist at theMarriage restoration project. "If you can articulate your feelings safely with love and respect, your family members will probably understand." More importantly: you will feel much less stress.

Give people a "secret gift" is easy, rewarding anddoes not cost a cent. So how does it work?

First, choose a stranger in your immediate surroundings. Now that this stranger is in your mind, take a few seconds to wish this person good health and good fortune.

"Secretly giving people these giftsRaise your mood and help you get there in the coming months, "explains the certified hypnotistCharles Buckingham.

"Stress arises in the holiday season when we tend to tiny details and loses the development of the big picture," saysRainfall, a coach of conscience and the author ofIlluminated meditation: simple means of managing your loaded mind.

Instead of worrying about little things that do not consider, make an effort to develop your goal and turn the situation into something positive. For example, when you are at the grocery store getting ingredients for a holiday dinner and that the aisles are overcrowded in an extremely crowded way, "see if you can connect with a sense of community with all other people out there. , "Says rains. "After all, you are all there to buy your holiday ingredients so you can prepare your holiday meals."

Of course, you could be invited to four or five games all over a week, but that does not mean you really need to go to all. Rather, "the holidays will be much more fun and less stressful if you do only what you are capable," saysAlissa Schneider, Ma, LMHC,A specialized mental health advisor inmitigate anxiety.

In the end, Schneider suggests listening to your feelings. If you are overwhelmed at the simple thought of attending an evening, it's probably time to start turning on the other hand of your healthy.

You do not have to read the entirety ofInfinite joke To reap the benefits of anxiety, attesting that novels have to offer. According to a study ofSeton University HallReading only 30 minutes can dramatically reduce stress levels, and it's a more effective stress litter than drinking tea or even listening to soothing music.

"You can not control airlines,weatheror your Aunt Edna - but you can control how you answer these situations, "saysTess Brigham, MFT, BCC,An authorized therapist and a certified coach of the board. Before scratching your teeth through yourairport experience and give a sour atmosphere for the rest of your trip, Brigham recommends "to set an intention" for the holiday season - something that will help you specify how you want to introduce yourself andto be as a person."

If you want to stay healthy during the holidays, one of the best things you can do in the name of your well-being is opening on how you feel. "If your stress is not treated, it can lead to" act "behavior, likeDrink too much or create relationships, work or money problems like a distraction, "saysTina B. Ticina, PhD,a psychotherapist and the author ofDr. Romance's Guide to find love today. "Allow you a little bit of time to complain and be unhappy. Express as many feelings and negative thoughts as possible, either verbally or on paper."

If you arestressed during a holiday event, Try this breathing technique with the courtesy ofIzolda Trakhtenberg,author ofSpeak with the interior:

"Find a place at the event where you canGet a minute only. Stand with the hip width of your feet, your straight vertebral column and roll your shoulders. Relax your neck and place your head so that it relies directly on your spine. Then inspire for a slow number of four. Hold your breath for a slow number of four. Exhale for a slow number of four. Get this breath exact three times more. "

Although all this exercise will need you more than a minute, Trakhtenberg notes that "the difference will feel like a miracle".

Naturally, one of the biggest stressors during the month of December is money. If and when you notice that your finances are starting to make stress, Schneider recommendsbudget For the holiday season and respect strictly. "It's a perfect area in which you can train to define a limit and stick to it," says the advisor.

If you keep your vacation expectations at low (or non-existent), you might simply find that it is almost impossible to feel disappointed. "We are often too busy trying to recreate something special that we can not be present and appreciate everything that really happens," saysKelly Houseman, MS, LLPC,a mental health advisor and owner ofKelly Houseman Counseling. "Count your blessings without waiting for them."

"Physical activity Is essential for the management of anxiety and stress, "says ISSA. And do not just take his word: a meta-analysis published inJama I found that when patients with chronic conditions exercise regularly, they experienced a 20% reduction in stress symptoms compared to those who did not break sweat.

Practice Solo is a great way to stay healthy during the holiday season, but if you want to take your mental health economy efforts, an extra step, then recruit friends to take courses at the gym with you. According to a study published in theJournal of the American Osteopathic Association,People who worked in a group were able to reduce their level of stress of 26% compared to those who chose to sweat solo.

Why should you leave something like your control that travel delays spoil your fun festivities? If your flight or your train should have postponed a few hours, you can use all this new free time to check some things from your list of things to do instead of waiting angrily for transport. Not only will it help spend time, you will feel a lot less stressed once your train or plane comes to know that your list of things to do is a little shorter.

You may be tempted to stay in the night going through the things of your list of things to do, but the last thing you want to do if you want to stay healthy during the holidays. In a recent study published in theExperimental Psychology Journal: General, The researchers have found that losing sleep increases feelings of anger and makes calm harder in frustrating situations.

"Cut the holiday holiday lists planning in advance so that you do not be overwhelmed," saysHal Pickett, Psy.d., LP, ABPP,Learning ManagerHeadway emotional health services.Of course, you could have countless things to do before December 25, but if you start planning in advance, you should be able to have your list check without having to do everything at a time.

Before your anxiety becomes too much for you to handle you, take a few minutes every day to increase your tolerance to negative emotions. According to ISA, some activities that will improve your tolerance include "take a few minutes at night to count your breath,Caress your dog and focus on the sweetness of his fur or taking extra time on your daily walk. "

Even if you are not a frequent tea drinker, you may want to consider adding the hot drink in your rotation during the wildly stressful winter months. Why? In a study published in the journalPsychopharmacology, Researchers have discovered that topics that drank four tea cups per day saw a 48% decrease in hormonal stress cortisol after completing a stressful task, while the topics that drank placebo have only seen a fall of 27%.

If the holiday season is too big for you to miss, so do not feel obliged to browse the movements simply because everyone is. "You do not raise your problems if youholiday Or choose to spend the holidays totally different from what you think you are expected from you, "says Housseman.

"Many times, stress is caused to a particular situation in itself, but because of a lack of perceived control," saysStephen Glicksman, Ph.D.,Approved professor of deputy psychology at the University of Yeshiva. "A way to preempt the stress is to try to better control potentially stressful situations." If you make a trip to the shopping center, for example, Glicksman suggests creating a list and determine the stores to hit before even walking in the mall. And if you want, you can even make a plan to reward you to pass through your list - after all, nothing keeps a calm and composed quite like a cream of ice cream.

Since anxiety tends to manifest both mentally and physically, it is important that you are able to recognize when you undergo stress. "When you tune your body and notice what sensations went up, you will learn to recognize stress because it begins to build and be more capable of stopping it in its tracks," explains the clinical psychologistERAN KATZ, MA.

"Cold monthAnd the holidays make us want to load comforting foods, but a healthy diet is important for emotional and mental health, "says Pickett." Balancing the influx of cookies, pies and chicken milk with winter vegetables and plenty of water. "

L.i.l.o. Breathe - Court for "less in, less often" - respiratory specialistTara A. Clancy'sPass the method to overcome overwork and stay calm. So how does it work? Start by taking a regular breath through your nose and exhale the same way. Wait a few seconds, then repeat the breath again, keep doing so until your serenity is restored.

"L.i.l.o. The breath restores the balance of the body of oxygen and carbon dioxide and gets you when you focus on your breathing," says Clancy. "This combination is a sure way to stop stress in its tracks."

There is so much to do during the holiday season and "save everything for the last minute will only lift your stress," explainsPrakash Masand, M.D., a psychiatrist and founder of theCenters of Psychiatric Excellence. Since you already know that the holidays will involve a lot of preparation and planning, start preparing for weeks of festivities - if not months - in advance and avoid the potential collapses related to procrastination.

Whether your anxiety is seasonal or glue around spring, yoga is an excellent practice to take to reduce stress and remain healthy during the colder months. In fact, whenIranian researchers 52 women participate in only 12 yoga sessions, they discovered that depression, anxiety and stress levels have declined considerably.

Nowadays, coloring is not just for children. Not only are adults find fun activity, butresearchshowed that it helps to mitigate anxiety - and the more the coloring counting model, the more the advantages reducing stress.

"Many of us tend to eat to handle emotional chaos, but it only adds books and makes you feel worse," explainsDr. Alok Trivedi, human behavior and expert psychological performance and founder of theInstitute Aligned on Performance. "If something bothers you, set it - no matter how this may seem insignificant."

Bring a gum package with you at every vacation shopping trip you take this year. Why? On aAustralian Study Presented at the 10th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, people who chew gums are able to reduce their anxiety by 17% during a slightly stressful situation in relation to those who have nothing in the mouth.

Focus all your energy on your positive emotions rather than yournegative Could just be enough to help you fight your winter blues. It is according to a study published in theBritish newspaper of health psychology, This concluded that the writing of your positive emotions for only 20 minutes a day can mitigate the negative emotional effects of stress and anxiety.

During the holiday season, far too many people have the impression of having to handle each last detail, gift giving to the decoration. "You do not feel like you should be the hero of the holiday season," says Masand. "Ask each person to bring a dinner dish; to decorate a family activity where children help or consider a gift exchange of Grab where each person has only a gift to relieve the stress of having to get something for everyone. "

Althoughsocial mediaIs an ideal place to share family photos and get vacation recipes, spend too much time on online platforms can potentially make you understand to compare yourself and your holiday celebrations with those of your friends. If you measure your self-esteem and your success of your holiday festivities depending on how everything looks like social media, you pretend to feel like a failure.

Rather than wasting all your day Freaking on every little disadvantage, clinical psychologistSari Chait, Ph.D.Recommends set aside 30 minutes each day specifically to emphasize. "When people commit themselves about it, they often find that they are better able to handle their worrying at other times of the day, especially if they remember when they feel worried about worrying more late, "says Chait.

If you are angry with someone or you feel like a friend or family member, he is to host the resentment for some reason, make an effort to communicate with this person and clarify the air. "It's the inability of people to communicate and tend to make assumptions that get them problems," says Trivédi.

An hour of meditation. That's all it takes to reduce the levels of anxiety in the foreseeable future, according to the research presented at the2018 experimental biology meeting. Even if you are not the biggest fan of sitting for long periods, setting an hour every week for amindless is extremely feasible - and endsabsoutely justify the means.

Here is a stress relief council, the courtesy ofMilana Perepyolkina,author ofGypsy Energy Secrets: When you start feeling stressed, make a conscious effort to stretch your muscles, as if you try to lift 100 pounds. After a few seconds, relax your muscles "as if you are a soft stuffed animal."

"It is not possible to have relaxed muscles and think about stressful thoughts at the same time," says Perepyolkina, so you voluntarily focus on the relaxation of your muscles will help to appease your mind, body and soul .

Anyone has ever had a massage already knows that it is one of the most relaxing activities. In fact, the search forUmea University In Sweden recently found that massages activate a brain area related to feelings of ecstasy and pleasure and successfully reduce anxiety levels for those who flourish on the spa service.

Keep illuminated lavender candles while you get home for holiday visitors. By a meta-analysis published in the journalComplementary and alternative medicine based on evidence, The scent of lavender is just as effective in overcoming anxiety as 0.5 mg per day of anti-anxiety control Lorazepam.

Fight the desire to frown when something leads you. When the psychologists of theKansas University Analyzed the relationship between stress and smile, they found that the subjects who were charged with smiling had lower heart rates - and therefore less anxiety - as a result of stress-inducing activities.

Do not be afraid to reach out to a professional if your vacation stress begins to be angry at control. There is no shame in search of the help of a certified professional if you want your negative emotions to be overwhelming, which should be a good period of the year. At the end of the day, your mental and physical health will benefit.

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