Tag Archive for: holiday stress

Holiday Stress

3 Tips to Avoid Unwanted Aches and Pain from Holiday Stress

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3 Tips to Avoid Unwanted Aches and Pain from Holiday Stress

The holiday season is a time of celebration, joy, and cherished moments with loved ones. However, it often brings with it a flurry of activities, responsibilities, and – unfortunately – stress. While the holidays are meant to be a time of relaxation and enjoyment, the reality for many is quite different. The pressure to create the perfect holiday experience – coupled with the hustle and bustle of shopping, cooking, and entertaining – can lead to elevated stress levels. What’s more, this heightened stress can manifest physically in the form of aches and pains, making it essential to manage both our mental and physical well-being during this season.

Here are three of my top recommendations for reducing stress during the Holidays (or any time of the year), to help you avoid unwanted physical aches and pain.

3 Tips to Avoid Holiday Stress:

  1. Prioritize Intentional Breathing

Breathing is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal for rapidly reducing and interrupting stress. The act of taking a deep breath sends a signal to your brain to calm down and relax. This simple yet effective technique can have a dramatic impact on your stress levels in as little as 30 seconds. The beauty of intentional breathing is that you can do it anywhere and at any time—whether you’re stuck in traffic, at your desk, in a crowded store, or even in the privacy of your bathroom.

The premise behind intentional breathing is to interrupt the accumulation of stress. By doing so, you decrease the overall toll it takes on both your body and mind. When stress builds up, it can manifest physically, leading to muscle tension, headaches, and even neck and back pain. Therefore, taking a moment to practice intentional deep breathing can make a significant difference in how you feel during the holiday season.

  1. Practicing Gratitude

Gratitude is a powerful antidote to stress. Studies have shown that practicing gratitude can lower cortisol levels in the body by approximately 23 percent. Cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone, is responsible for many of the negative effects of chronic stress, including high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease.  Chronic stress can also be responsible for unwanted muscle tension – especially in areas like your neck, back, and hips.

When we focus on things we appreciate and practice gratitude, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for calming the body and returning it to its natural rhythm. By consciously practicing gratitude, you actively lower your stress levels. This not only benefits your mental well-being but also has a positive impact on your physical health. Reduced stress can lead to lower blood pressure, improved sleep quality, and decreased muscle tension.

  1. Incorporate Physical Activity

Physical activity is a powerful stress-reduction tool with numerous benefits for both body and mind. Engaging in regular exercise helps boost your mood by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural stress and pain relievers. Additionally, physical activity helps put an end to the “fight or flight” response triggered by stress.

In ancient times, our fight or flight response served to protect us from immediate danger, such as being chased by a predator (aka Lion). Physical movement, like running, signaled the end of the stress cycle by telling the brain that we were safe. In the modern world, stress triggers may not be as obvious, but they can still activate these ancient systems. When stress becomes chronic and prolonged, it can have detrimental effects on your physical and mental well-being.

Purposeful movement, even something as simple as a brisk walk, can help break the cycle of stress in your body. Engaging in simple activities like jumping jacks, push ups, or even dancing in your living room can elevate your heart rate just enough to signal the end of the fight or flight response.

While the three essential tips outlined above can be highly effective in managing holiday stress, they may not be suitable for everyone, especially if you’re dealing with pain or injury. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress and physical pain this time of year, consider reaching out to a qualified specialist for guidance.

Are you local to Portsmouth, NH?

See if you could qualify for a free discovery visit with a specialist by clicking HERE.

Dr. Carrie Jose, Physical Therapist and Pilates expert, owns CJ Physical Therapy & Pilates in Portsmouth and writes for Seacoast Media Group. To get in touch, email her at [email protected].

Holiday Stress

3 Tips to Decrease Stress around the Holidays

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The Holidays are fast approaching and although this is meant to be a joyous time of year – Holiday Stress can sometimes get the best of you.

Why is stress so harmful?

Besides the obvious mental toll that increased stress levels tend to cause, it also has an impact on virtually all systems of your body. Prolonged, unhealthy stress puts your nervous systems on high alert – otherwise known as “fight or flight”.

If not regulated, this can lead to problems such as high blood pressure, shortness of breath, unwanted muscle tension, increased cortisol production, an unhappy gut, and more neck and back pain. The good news is that there are some easy, practical ways to combat the stress of Holidays all on your own.

Here are three of my favorite tips for decreasing stress around the Holidays (or any time of year).

 

1. Breathe Intentionally

Breathing is one of your best friends when it comes to quickly reducing and interrupting holiday stress. As little as 30 seconds can have dramatic effects.

When you breathe deeply it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. The best part is you can do this anywhere — in the car, at the office, while shopping, or in the bathroom. Although breathing may not eliminate stress permanently, it does interrupt it. And interruption is key when it comes to managing stress — both emotional and musculoskeletal.

When you interrupt the ability for the forces of stress to accumulate, you decrease the overall toll it can have on both your body and brain.

2. Practice Gratitude

Did you know that gratitude helps lower cortisol levels in our bodies by about 23 percent?

Prolonged stress causes elevated cortisol levels, which causes lots of different health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure. Research shows that when we think about something we appreciate (i.e. practice gratitude), the parasympathetic nervous system (the calming one) is triggered.

Our parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for returning the body to its automatic and natural rhythm. So when the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, your heart rate and cortisol levels lower. Your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can’t both be “in charge” simultaneously – so when you consciously practice gratitude – you actively lower your stress.

3. Get Moving

Any kind of movement is going to help you control holiday stress for a few reasons…

First, it gets your blood flowing which contains endorphins — natural chemicals of the body designed to decrease pain and stress.

Second, movement helps to end the “flight or fight” response of your body.

In ancient times, our fight or flight response protected us from danger (like a lion chasing us), by triggering us to run away. Running away (movement) would signal the end of the fight or flight stress cycle by letting the brain know we were safe and out of danger. In our modern world, triggers of stress are not as obvious as a lion trying to eat us, but they still activate the same ancient systems.

In current times, the end of the stress cycle is not always as clear as the final escape from a lion, therefore, it can become prolonged and chronic. Purposeful movement can help decrease stress by physiologically inducing an end to your body’s fight or flight response.

Something as simple as fast walking can do the trick. But even jumping jacks or dancing in your living room can feel good and get your heart rate up enough to end the fight or flight cycle

If you’re feeling stressed this time of year – I hope these tips help. A little bit of stress is normal – but chronic, unregulated stress is not. Give these easy and practical tips a try and see how you do. If they don’t help, then please seek out a professional to talk to.

Cheers to a healthy and stress-free Holiday Season!

If you’re experiencing any kind of back, knee, hip, or neck pain is adding to your stress this season – we’re here to help.

If you’re local to Portsmouth, NH- CLICK HERE to request a Free Discovery Session with us if you’re local to Portsmouth, NH.

Dr. Carrie Jose, Physical Therapist and Pilates expert, owns CJ Physical Therapy & Pilates in Portsmouth and writes for Seacoast Media Group. To get in touch, or request a free copy of one of her guides to back, neck, knee, or shoulder pain, email her at [email protected].

 

 

Five Ways to Keep Your Back from Going Out this Holiday Season

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The holiday season is supposed to be a joyful, relaxing time, but the reality is that sometimes it’s much more stressful than we’d like. Between family gatherings, shopping, travel, and the disruption of your normal routine, it can be easy for your back to suffer. Here are our tips for staying pain-free this holiday season!

1. Don’t Sit or Stand Too Long

Experts agree that a sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to overall health and well-being. Staying still for too long will make you stiff and could eventually lead to muscle spasms and cause injury. Take time during those long family meals to get up and walk around.  Too much sitting, in particular, has become widely known to cause problems with your back and eventually lead to debilitating episodes.  Read more about that here.

2. Minimize Stress

A stressed mind inevitably leads to a stressed body. When you’re experiencing stress, your muscles tense, especially in your neck and back. It also leads to more “stress hormones” flowing through your body (known as cortisol) which can result in muscle soreness and pain. There are several easy ways to decrease stress without avoiding those important family activities and shopping trips! You can start with simple gratitude exercises. Making your first words of the day a statement of gratitude can make a huge difference in your perspective and how you approach the day. Writing these “gratitudes” down and collecting them is also an awesome way to stay mindful of what’s important to you, and can help you let go of the things that are bothering you. Positive thinking and deep, measured breaths throughout the day’s activities could be the best gift you give yourself this holiday season!

3. Watch Your Posture

Be mindful of your posture and body mechanics while wrapping presents, lifting them in and out of the car, and decorating the tree. All of this bending and lifting can take a big toll on your back. Many people throw out their backs lifting because they aren’t using a safe technique to do so, or they don’t know how to properly engage their core muscles. It’s important to lift with your legs, not with your back, and to NEVER hold your breath. Otherwise you could do significant damage over time to the muscles and connective tissue in your spine, thus limiting your mobility, causing pain and discomfort, and increasing the chances you will “throw your back out”.

4. Make Time to Move

The holiday season can be incredibly busy, but it’s important to give yourself time to move. Taking a group walk outside is a good way to spend time with family and friends while still staying active and healthy. There are also plenty of simple in home exercises you can spread throughout your day. Five minutes of stretching or light exercise every couple hours will leave you way more relaxed, limber, and prevent back pain.

5. Travel Right

Many of us travel during the holidays, which can be a major stressor and lead to back pain. Whether you are traveling by car or plane, you will be sitting for long periods of time in a cramped space. It’s important to take frequent breaks in order to stretch your muscles and prevent joint stiffness. Even if you’re flying, you can get up and walk the length of the plane to the bathroom and back- enough to stretch out and get your blood flowing. In your seat, be mindful of your posture and be intentional about stretching your neck, arms, and ankles. Be sure to bring a blanket or dress in layers as well- planes are generally chillier than most people find comfortable, and cold air makes your muscles tense up. Staying warm will keep you relaxed and pain free!  You can also use your extra layers to throw behind your back to use as a make-shift lumbar roll or pillow.  Having something that acts like a lumbar support behind you while sitting minimizes the load on your spine.

We hope you take good care of your back this holiday season, but if you run into any trouble, give us a call at 603-380-7902 or send an email to [email protected]. You can learn more about all of our specialized Pilates programs that are specifically designed for back-pain sufferers here and stay in touch via Facebook for more helpful information just like this. We’re here to help!