Fall is here, and so is the chaos of dealing with the holidays: all the shopping, cooking, and other tasks to help create a pleasant holiday for friends and family. You want your loved ones to be happy, but the emotional and financial toll that everything can take also makes things harder on your body.
Holiday stress leads to physical and emotional problems you can do without, and while things may seem overwhelming at times, there are some simple things you can do to relieve the pressure through exercise. To find out more, let’s look at the toll this stress can take on your body and how a steady, active regimen can manage your woes when trying to cope.
Dr. Corey Skinner and the team at Action Chiropractic Dallas can help Dallas, Texas, residents manage the stress their bodies experience at this time of year with a range of treatments.
Stress happens to everyone at some point, resulting from mental and physical reactions we have to a variety of situations. It’s a function of your autonomic nervous system that causes a fight or flight response to adapt to specific events that pose a threat, from avoiding an accident to avoiding something or someone that frightens you.
Physically, we’re designed to deal with stress, especially in situations where it motivates us to be alert and avoid danger, but those are often short-term (acute) incidents. The problems with stress arise with episodic and chronic issues that either come back regularly or don’t seem to go away at all.
All the effort you put into making the holidays perfect for everyone else takes a toll on you. Whether it’s battling traffic and crowds to get presents or food for loved ones, or traveling during this time of year to make an appearance, it all adds up. It’s fine to want to make other people happy, but the toll this can take on your body can have long-term effects.
There are emotional and physical costs to going through all of these things, including anxiety, depression, irritability, body aches, and sleeping problems. Even overindulging creates stress in the form of overeating and drinking, causing headaches, insomnia, and leading to inactivity that also makes you unhealthy.
The pressure you put on yourself puts more work on your heart, and the overindulging creates weight issues that lead to several other health issues. Exercise is an excellent counterbalance to help reduce stress, lose weight, and lower the chances of chronic diseases. Stuff as simple as taking more time to walk, jog, bike, swim, dance, or play some sports can alleviate stress.
As little as 20 minutes of cardio can improve circulation, increase oxygen use, boost your mood by creating endorphins, and lower the adrenaline and cortisol that stress produces. While you’re doing these things to make yourself feel better, you’re also strengthening muscles and bones, boosting immunity, lowering blood pressure, and creating more good cholesterol.
Following these steps, along with other lifestyle advice tailored to your specific needs, kinesio therapy, trigger point therapy, and corrective exercises, can not only make you feel better but also keep you healthy while enjoying the holiday festivities.
The holidays can be very stressful, but you can get through them. We’re here to help in any way we can. Contact Dr. Skinner and Action Chiropractic Dallas online or by phone today to find solutions for managing holiday stress.
