The Impact of Holiday Stress on Your Health

The holiday season is meant to fill you with joy.  Between spending time with your family, observing traditions, and preparing Christmas Stockings, your feelings of health and well-being should grow three sizes, right?  Unfortunately, even the fulfilling aspects of the season may not be able to banish the many negative side effects of the stress that is prevalent around the holidays.  All the planning, hosting, shopping, and travel (along with the attendant pressure of meeting your many obligations) can leave you feeling fatigued and even ill by the turn of the year.  But by making an effort to understand the effects of stress on your health, you can learn to spot symptoms, combat causes, and have the happiest holiday possible.

The most common side effects of the increased stress of the holidays are sleeplessness, anxiety, body aches, and an inability to focus.  These symptoms can be annoying, but by and large they will not unduly disrupt your daily life.  Where you can get into trouble is by failing to recognize these ailments as side effects of stress.  If you continue to pile on the commitments, sleeplessness can easily become insomnia and fatigue, anxiety can lead to panic attacks or even depression, body aches can go from merely uncomfortable to acutely painful, and difficulty concentrating may intensify to confusion, memory loss, and other cognitive impairment.

But that’s not all.  Over time, stress can exacerbate or even cause more serious (and deadly) side effects.  The heart is particularly susceptible, and symptoms such as palpitations, chest pain, hypertension, and even heart attack could be partially of wholly blamed on stress.  Digestive problems are also common, ranging from decreased appetite, to diarrhea or constipation, to abdominal pain and even ulcers.  And aside from your physical health, you may suffer emotional and mental side effects that cause you to lash out at your family or possibly even suffer some sort of breakdown.  You will probably agree that these many symptoms are just the opposite of what you want to experience during the holidays.

Now for the good news: there are many ways to reduce and avoid stress so that you can have the happy holiday you’re looking forward to.  For starters, you can dramatically ease stress by simply opting out.  We all have ideas about what NEEDS to be done during the holidays.  Whether it involves decorating the house, baking cookies, and shopping for gifts, attending every party you get invited to, or traveling hither and yon to visit members of your extended family (or all of the above), you need to rethink your list of to-dos and cut some out.  Let your family help with preparing the house for the holidays, commit to attending only one or two parties, and call your family instead of braving the lines at the airport.

You should also make some time for yourself.  Arrange a spa day to give yourself a little taste of the charitable spirit that prompts you to do so much for others.  Or simply sit and enjoy a good book while you sip some hot chocolate.  Reducing stress is not only good for your overall health; it also allows you to be truly present during the time you spend with your family in observance of the holidays.  And that’s what the season is all about.

Sarah Danielson writes for wedding bands where you can find information on what to look for when shopping for a diamond engagement ring and other fine diamond jewelry.