Must the holidays be so stressful? Why do so many of us feel anxious and stressed when thinking of the upcoming holidays? We need to be excited not stressed. This is a time of joy - spending time with family, great food and gatherings, enjoying the smell of Christmas trees and all of the beautiful decorations and cherishing the look of joy and excitement on our children's faces Christmas morning. It is a time of tradition. So how can we keep from getting so stressed? We have a few simple tips for you!

"During the holiday season, we're running at absolute maximum capacity, which can lead to stress and even depression," suggests Dr. Bautch. "We need to stretch and stay hydrated to increase our capacity, so we are not overwhelmed by the activities of the season." This year let's take care of our bodies during the holiday season by treating holiday shopping more as an athletic event. 

"Our bodies have the capacity to do a little more than we normally do," says Dr. Scott Bautch, past president of the ACA's Council on Occupational Health. "But our bodies do not adapt very well to doing a lot more than we normally do. Since the added demands of this season can stress the capacity of our bodies, we need to do everything we can to help ourselves. Eat right, drink plenty of water, stretch, exercise and take a few minutes to slow down and reflect on what the season is all about."        

Our partners at the American Chiropractic Association offer similar suggestions:

• Stay hydrated! Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are dehydrators. Don't substitute them for water.) On shopping days, you may need to drink even more water.
• Be sure to stretch before and after a long day of shopping. When you are stressed-out, your muscles are less flexible than usual.
• Wear shoes with plenty of cushioning in the soles to absorb the impact of walking on those hard shopping mall floors.
• Make sure your clothing is as comfortable as possible. It's a good idea to wear layers, because you may be going from a cold environment (outdoors) to a warm environment (indoors).
• Leave your purse at home. Wear a light fanny pack, or if necessary, a light backpack instead. Pack only those items that are absolutely essential (driver's license, credit card, etc.).
• If you start to feel some pain, nip it in the bud. Apply an ice bag to the affected area for 20 minutes, then take it off for a couple of hours. Repeat a couple of times each day over the next day or two.

They offer more suggestions in the full article...

Our favorite suggestion is: be careful while you are wrapping gifts. Don't wrap gifts on the floor, try a bed or table. Vary your positions if you are wrapping for long periods of time...and always remember to stretch first! 

We also want to encourage you to keep your regularly scheduled appointments - We know this is a busy time, but chiropractic adjustments, massage and essential oils can help boost your immune system and help the body tolerate stress better. 

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