DIALING DOWN HOLIDAY SEASON STRESS
Managing daily life can provoke anxiety in even the most resilient individuals. Yet, the holiday season, with its additional stressors, only amplifies this effect. The bustling nature of this time of year often leads to an overwhelming schedule, where the mere thought of another commitment makes you want to scream. Furthermore, the season brings unique challenges like gift selection, travel complexities, and potential financial worries.
Increased stress, especially in us seniors, can have a significant impact on our mental well-being. I came across an insightful article on the AARP website, which highlights various strategies to manage stress, a topic that becomes increasingly relevant during this holiday season. Here are some key takeaways from the September 6, 2023 post by contributing writer Hallie Levine, 4 Natural Stress Remedies for Right Now.
Easy ways to reduce anxiety:
1. Fuel up with the right foods
While there’s no magic supplement that can — poof! — cure your anxiety, there is some good research that certain foods and nutrients may help alleviate its effects. A closer look:
- Fatty fish
It’s rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which have been shown to improve symptoms of moderate and major depression, and also to significantly reduce anxiety.
- Probiotic-rich foods
Think a daily dose of pickles, sauerkraut, kefir or yogurt. A study in the journal Psychiatry Research suggested a link between probiotic foods and a lowering of social anxiety. For yogurt or kefir, look for brands that have live active cultures and have little or no added sugar, which can negate the gut-healthy benefits.
- Foods rich in magnesium including leafy greens and almonds
Having low blood levels of magnesium and a low intake of magnesium from foods are each associated with an increased risk of depression. The recommended dietary allowance for adults over the age of 30 is 320 mg a day for women and 420 mg a day for men. An ounce (about a handful) of almonds has 80, a half-cup of boiled spinach has 78, a half-cup of cooked black beans has 60, and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter have 49.
- Protein in the morning
Protein helps synthesize serotonin, a brain hormone responsible for helping to lower anxiety and boost mood: 15 grams at breakfast — the equivalent of about two large eggs—is recommended. .
2. Be mindful
A 2014 review of 47 clinical trials published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that practicing mindfulness meditation can help ease anxiety.
Whenever you feel anxious, practice some mindfulness techniques, suggests Amy Sullivan, a psychologist at Cleveland Clinic. “It teaches us how to stay in the here and now, instead of toward fear and uncertainty in the future,” she says. One easy exercise involves going no further than your own pantry. Grab an orange or other citrus fruit, and then take some time to really examine it as if you’d never seen it before. “Go through the process of describing it, peeling it, and eating it, using all five of your senses” — sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing, Sullivan advises. As you are focusing intently, you will tune down your autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for producing that panicky fight-or-flight response you get when you’re anxious.
Another way to practice mindfulness — and lower anxiety — is yoga. People who practice yoga several times a week report improvements in both depression and anxiety symptoms within just eight weeks.
3. Stay active — especially outdoors
You probably already know that exercise is good to both boost your mood and your health. But taking any workout or walk outdoors reaps even more anxiety-busting benefits. What’s more, a 90-minute walk in nature lowers activity in the part of the brain linked to negative rumination. But if you’re somewhere like an apartment complex or nursing home where you can’t easily get outdoors, then any type of indoor physical activity — even just walking up and down a flight of stairs — can help. [Please also refer to my October 2018 post, Recipe for Reducing Stress: Get Up & Move]
4. Set a power-down routine
When it comes to sleep and anxiety, it’s a little bit of the chicken-and-the-egg syndrome: Anxiety makes it hard to nod off, then sleep deprivation makes your mood worse the next day. But people with insomnia are 17 times more likely to have clinical anxiety than more-sound sleepers, according to the National Sleep Foundation. You may be tempted to try an over-the-counter sleep aid such as doxylamine (Unisom) or diphenhydramine (Sominex). But these have been linked in older adults to next-day drowsiness, confusion, constipation, dry mouth, and difficulty urinating.
Instead, try resetting your nighttime routine. Ninety minutes before bed, hop into a warm bath or shower, advises Michael Breus, a Los Angeles sleep specialist and author of The Power of When. “Your body temperature will decrease once you get out of the tub, helping produce melatonin naturally,” he explains.
Finish with some deep breathing exercises before bed. “This kicks off a series of physiological changes that aid relaxation, including reducing muscle tension, slowing breathing rate and heart rate, lowering blood pressure and metabolism,” Breus explains. He recommends 4-7-8 breathing. In a comfortable position, with your eyes open or closed, inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale slowly for eight seconds. Repeat several times. “That slow exhale is very similar to the pace of breathing your body adopts as you’re falling asleep,” Breus says. As a result, you’re mimicking the breathing patterns of sleep onset. With luck, your body will soon follow.
Practice these four remedies and kiss your holiday season stress goodbye.