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Is your stress showing up with bells on this holiday season? If so, it is time to take action.
Stress can impair thyroid function. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we tend to get overwhelmed and forget about our number one priority – our health. For example, with a thyroid condition such as hypothyroidism, when your body feels under stress it releases a hormone called cortisol. Too much of it will interfere with your thyroid’s hormone production. As a result, your thyroid will be stimulated and it will have to work harder to produce the appropriate amount of thyroid hormone needed. So, it’s important to take a step back from everything during the holiday season and focus on your level of stress and ways to reduce it.
Let us take a look at a few ways to reduce or relieve some of the holiday stress around us. Ready? Take a deep breath in and let’s jump to it.
Between the family members, friends, office staff, and the boss, someone is bound to ask you to do something extra. It is OK to say NO. Keep an eye on your mental health, strength, and anxiety. If you start to notice that you are trying to figure out how to fit everything in, then that’s a good indicator that you have taken on too much.
If you start to find yourself in a funk, get your body moving. Take a walk through the neighborhood or get out and do anything that will get your heart rate up. Exercise has been known to reduce tension, anger, and even fatigue.
No matter how great your family is they can still find a way to irk that one particular nerve. Remember, you can’t control what others say or do, you can only control what it is you say and do. So, when you feel as though a conflict may be brewing, excuse yourself and go outside. Find your safe mental space – and then find that holiday spirit again.
During the holiday season, we tend to stay up late, and before we know it hours have passed by. We seem to easily lose hours, whether from binge-watching Hallmark movies, prepping for parties, talking with family, or just up for hours wrapping and cleaning up the house for holidays. It’s imperative we schedule quality sleep and stick to it. When you wake, you will be ready to handle anything that comes your way.
There is no shame in asking for help. So, if you need help cooking, cleaning, wrapping presents, grocery shopping, or even just watching the kids for an hour or so, just ask for help. Taking this step will eliminate some unnecessary stress from your life – and benefit your overall well-being.
Just as you budget your finances for the holidays, get into the practice of budgeting your time, sleep schedule, dinner schedule, family time, and even meditation time. If you take a moment to plan out and budget your time wisely, the holiday season will be smooth sailing and have little to no stress.
