Holiday Guide

Cope With Holiday Stress

Working that extra job, filling in for co-workers who've left town early, being stuck with a larger workload, or simply having to deal with in-laws is enough to make most people's blood pressure rise.

So how do you deal with the extra stress of the holidays when you're the only one left in the office or Mom has guilted you into dragging your boyfriend or girlfriend to meet the family when you really just wanted to cozy up one-on-one?

Dr. James P. Nicolai, director of The Franciscan Center for Integrative Health at St. Francis Hospitals in Indiana, warns that stress management is vital to maintaining optimum health.

A National Institute of Stress study found anywhere between 75 percent and 90 percent of visits to a primary care physician have a stress-related component to it.

"That's more than just heart disease, acid reflux or anxiety," says Nicolai, who believes the mind, body and emotions are intricately connected.

Diabetes, insomnia and decreased immunity are all by-products of stress, he said.

"When you have challenges in the mind and emotions, you're going to have challenges physically," he says.

Dr. James P. Nicolai, who offers stress management seminars, offers these tips for handling the added pressure:

A: Activity
"Tension happens when we don't allow our muscles to deal with the stress we have," Nicolai says. "If we don't move, the energy has to go somewhere." Typically it goes to the muscles, but for some people, stress accumulates in the shoulders or back; stomachs, causing ulcers and acid reflux; or neck and skull, causing headaches.
Just getting up to walk, even just 15 to 20 minutes per day, helps, Nicolai says. Before work, after work, on a lunch break -- any time is good to help work out that tension.
Massage, stretching, yoga, even things like acupuncture, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, healing touch, and reiki are all forms of body work that are beneficial, Nicolai said.

B: Breathing
"If I was going to teach anyone anything about stress management, it's breathing," Nicolai says. "The way we breathe -- chest breathing -- is one step away from panic."
Deep breaths, using the diaphragm, is how we should breathe. Both chest and belly should rise when inhaling, Nicolai says.
"If we can change our breathing after a stressful state, it can literally begin to flip the switch of that state," Nicolai says.

C: Cortesol
When bodies are under stress they produce adrenaline, but also cortesol, a stress hormone that acts like a natural steroid, Nicolai says.
Which is why people who've been under stress long term start having similar symptoms to those who've overused steroids: weight gain around the midsection, sporadic up and down moods, depression, insomnia, cholesterol problems and insulin resistance.
Several herbs and botanicals have been found to be helpful in managing cortesol, including Holy Basil, which has long been used in traditional Indian (ayurvedic) medicine.

Holiday Blues

One gift you don’t need in this season of frenzy – the holiday blues

The hustle and bustle of the holidays doesn’t always translate into feelings of warmth and “good cheer” for everyone. A sense of loneliness or isolation – particularly when compared with the glowing environment depicted all around us in seasonal movies, television dramas and store settings – often brings the “holiday blues.”

Quite different from true clinical depression, the holiday blues are transient and can be resolved or prevented fairly easily, says Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, director of the Mood Disorders Research Program and Clinic at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

“Some people don’t have the opportunity or the wherewithal to get involved with family and friends and that offers a stark contrast to the pictures painted by the media and the attention focused on the season,” says Dr. Trivedi, professor of psychiatry. “On the other hand, it’s surprising how soon people can shake those blues, if they just make a concentrated effort.”

Dr. Trivedi offers the following suggestions for combating holiday blues:

• Get involved in your community or with charitable activities.
• Exercise regularly.
• Eat properly.
• Don’t drink too much alcohol.
• Get enough sleep.
• Stick with a routine.

“There’s a natural way to deal with the holiday blues,” he says. “Basically, it involves taking the same advice that your mother would have given.”

Holiday Stress and Post-Holiday Depression

Holidays often produce an increase in depression and anxiety, usually caused by either a lack of family or the overwhelming schedule of activities.

"People need to distract themselves from those stressful holiday situations and do something for themselves," says Josh Smith, outpatient mental health therapist.

You may be acquainted with them, you may laugh and talk with them, but by the time the apple pie comes around the table, you are disgusted with them. Yes, house guests -- expected or unexpected -- cause great stress.

Smith says the best advice is to welcome them into the home and make sure that their stay is temporary.

"Make sure one finds out why they are there -- whether it is strictly to visit or to make amends," said Smith.

It is also best to throw yourself into the moment instead of wondering when they will leave, as time goes by faster when one is having fun.

Holiday shopping and errands can also cause great stress, as there is much to do in a short amount of time. Smith's advice is to take it one step at a time and be there fully -- physically, mentally, altogether there.

"If you're at the mall stay focused on the shopping list you have there, instead of the list for the grocery store," said Smith.

For those situations that are too stressful to handle, it is best to take a 10- to 15-minute break and catch some fresh air outdoors or in another room.

Post holiday mental health is also at stake as family and friends leave. For many the holidays are a break from everyday life, and for many, everyday life is a struggle after the holidays.

"I see people after the holidays are over and they are back where they were before the holidays," said Smith.

Often it can be depressing to see family and friends go back to everyday life, something that Smith says many senior citizens deal with.

"People deal with the holidays in many different ways. Some compare their lives to the lives of others, but the best way to deal with the holidays is to make the best of every situation," said Smith.
BY GARY BAKER-STAFF WRITER
Dailyreporter.com

Holiday Food Safety and Diet Tip

For your holiday buffet, remember the two-hour rule – bacteria certainly will

Visiting with family and friends over long leisurely meals or grazing on buffet-style spreads while watching football games for hours is an integral part of many holiday settings. For the safety of your guests, however, make sure your holiday banquet doesn’t turn into a rampant bacteria buffet.

“One out of every four Americans suffers from some type of food-borne illness each year,” says Lona Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. “To make sure you’re spreading holiday cheer and not holiday food poisoning, don’t leave food out for more than two hours at a time. Two hours is a critical time, after which bacteria begin to multiply rapidly.”

If you’re watching calorie intake, Ms. Sandon offers another suggestion. “Provide smaller plates for holiday feasts. You also can place holiday offerings in smaller serving dishes.”

The result: guests tend to take smaller portions.

“In addition, if your buffet table is loaded with more choices than you should take, consider passing on foods that you can eat any time, such as mashed potatoes,” she said. “Go for those special items that you only get once a year, such as Granny’s sweet potato pie.”

Holidays Pam and Asthma

If your holiday party list includes asthma sufferers, make them comfortable

As host, you’ve probably thought of everything that would make your holiday get together a success. But Dr. Rebecca Gruchalla, chief of the allergy and immunology division at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, recommends a few extra precautions if your guest list includes an asthma sufferer. The following suggestions can create a comfortable atmosphere for guests and help them avoid an asthma attack:

• Don’t use juniper or cedar trees, which are pollinating this time of year. Instead, invest in an artificial tree and keep it dust free.

• Be mindful of fragrances, and avoid using scented candles and room sprays.

• Reschedule your party if you get sick. People with asthma are more susceptible to colds and the flu, which can exacerbate respiratory problems.