4 Tips to Reduce Stress During the Holidays
Ah, the holidays! During any “normal” year, the holidays can bring along with them a lot of chaos and on top of it all, a heaping dose of stress. As humans, we are conditioned to handle our normal stressors (i.e. traffic, a neighbor’s noisy dog, an extra-long Zoom meeting, etc.). However, when new or unusual stressors arise during the holiday season, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic, we don’t have the tools to necessarily handle them.
2020 will take this typical holiday stress and ratchet it up a few notches. For many, their typical holiday traditions will look much different this year — fewer family members at the table, more FaceTime calls, and a great deal of online shopping. These changes aren’t as simple as they may seem and they will undoubtedly affect our nervous systems.
At Cherokee Custom Rx, we pride ourselves on providing overall wellness advice to our clients. We wanted to showcase a variety of ways one could reduce stress throughout not only the upcoming holidays, but throughout the year. Check out some activities and ways to relax below:
AdreneVive
AdreneVive is a supplement that contains a blend of adaptogenic botanicals and nutrients specifically formulated to counteract the effects of daily stress and support healthy energy levels. AdreneVive provides a unique blend of “stress adapting botanicals” that support the body’s resistance to fatigue and help to maintain balanced cortisol and DHEA levels. Want more information? Let us explain.
The body’s stress response system consists of three stages. Stage 1 is the alarm phase. Stage 2 is the resistance phase and stage 3 is exhaustion. The alarm phase may sound similar to you as the body’s normal fight-or-flight response to danger. This is characterized by elevated cortisol levels.
The next stage, the resistance phase, allows the body to withstand extended stress exposure after the fight-or-flight response has dispersed. The hormones cortisol and DHEA are released to help support the ‘resistance’ reaction. However, extended periods of stress burden the system, creating an imbalance in cortisol and DHEA production. This can result in mental and physical fatigue, nervous tension, irritability, and poor memory — all of which are characteristic of the third phase, exhaustion.
Want to learn more about AdreneVive? Visit us here at Cherokee Custom Rx and ask a staff member about how AdreneVive can help you or visit the product page from our website. We specialize in creating a daily regimen of natural supplements that will maximize your performance and reduce your stress levels.
Exercise
Something that we are very passionate about here at Cherokee Custom Rx, is exercise. Dr. Greene, a pharmacist at Cherokee Custom Rx, is a very avid fitness enthusiast. She credits her consistent routine with her lowered stress levels and improved outlook on life.
When it comes to exercise everyone is unique. For some, weights seem intimidating and not important whereas running might be their favorite form of exercise. A great option that suits everyone’s fitness level is yoga. Yoga is a practice that focuses on physical postures and breathing techniques that benefit the body and mind. Yoga is a wonderful way to get the body moving while resting the mind.
Whichever type of exercise you choose to partake in, we always recommend speaking to your physician before starting any new exercise routine.
Meditation
Take into consideration the number of internal conversations with ourselves we have on any given day. There are a lot of them, right? Sometimes it is important to give our minds a break from over-thinking and worrying. Consistent meditation has been identified by many top performers in both the business and professional sports world as playing a large role in their success.
The Mayo Clinic states, “Regular meditation practice has been shown to alter the brain — in a good way. One study showed that the area of the brain dedicated to regulating your emotions was significantly larger in meditators.” Okay, great, but what exactly is meditation and how do we do it?
Meditation is the process of mindfulness or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity. Start by sitting cross-legged on a comfortable surface or lying down. You can play calming music and even dim or completely turn off the lights to help create a tranquil environment. Next, focus on your breath — inhale for 4 seconds then exhale for 4 seconds. Continue at this pace until your breath becomes steady and then focus on your body’s natural breathing pattern. Keep focusing solely on your breath and if an unwanted thought comes to mind, gently push it away and return to your breath.
Remember, meditation is a practice, and just like anything else, you’ll get better at it the more often you do it!
We have found that journaling and meditation are a dynamic combination for those who suffer from undue anxiety, which brings us to our fourth way to reduce stress.
Journaling
Taking the time out of your day to write down how you’re feeling or what you’ve been thinking about is a great way to release stress. There is no right or wrong way to do this. One idea is to set aside time at the end of your day or just before bed to write about your day; What went wrong? What went right? How do you feel? What do you wish you could change? How can you change it?
One other way you can use journaling to reduce stress is to start your day by writing down 3 things you’re grateful for. Think about it. What are you grateful for? Your response could be, a loved one, a pet, the fact that your favorite book exists, or something as ordinary as a toothbrush!
At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do to help reduce stress levels is to take care of yourself. Be it by exercise, meditation, journaling, or AdreneVive, taking the time to focus on self-care will benefit your overall health and you’ll certainly feel the difference.
