Top 10 Tips to Manage Stress and Anxiety During Christmas

Christmas is around the corner, and we have already got into the most fun demanding and busiest days of this holiday season. The pressure to live up to the hype of Christmas spirit is enough to make you sick with stress and anxiety.

Life can be extremely difficult for people who lead a lonely life. Romantic estrangement and bereavement can make your holidays dismal. Christmas stress can add to existing mental health issues and create new psychological burdens. Notably, mental health experts caution that a person's mental health problems may become heightened over the Christmas and New Year period.

Christmas Tree Syndrome
Christmas tree syndrome is an allergic condition associated with the presence of a Christmas tree in the house. Christmas tree syndrome is treated like any other allergy using antihistamines.

‘Take time during holidays to have fun, communicate with people and enjoy life to stay away from anxiety and depression that adds stress to your mental health.’

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To promote good mental health during this Christmas holidays, our experts in mental health have put together following tips that can help you effectively cope with stress and anxiety and build resilience:

1. Set Realistic Goals

You should have a plan for this Christmas. Write down your plan in your diary like how much you want to spend and what you should do and shouldn't. Also, make sure that things in your plan are not left to the last minute for implementation.

Keep Calm at Christmas
Christmas’s emphasis on sharing and loved ones makes it special, but it also makes it harder for some. Depression at Christmas time has become increasingly problematic but can be easily kept at bay.

2. Stay Healthy with a Balanced Diet

It's not easy to avoid the abundance of food and alcohol during Christmas. Over-indulging on your favorite food can result in weight gain. Differently from the usual advice of avoiding some food items, diet experts suggest people can eat whatever they like – but in moderation.

Christmas Feast Its Always Grand with Cake and Wine
Christmas is celebrated as a religious and cultural festival by billions of people around the world.

Also, remember to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Limit consumption of high-fat and sugary foods. Alcohol can contain lots of hidden calories. If you want to drink alcohol, do that too with a piece of advice in your mind that heavy drinking has serious consequences.

3. Be Prepared

How to Keep Christmas Calories Under Control
Christmas festivities need not to be synonymous with weight gain and obesity. With some low calorie Christmas recipes you can indulge in low calorie Christmas treats and desserts this festive season.

This tip is helpful especially for those suffering from mental illnesses. If you are a patient with a mental illness, remember to stock up on your medications because the clinics and pharmacies will change their opening and closing times during the holidays.

Make a note of emergency numbers. If you're worried that your mental health may be beginning to deteriorate, and you can't access your regular health services, don't hesitate to visit your local accident and emergency department.

4. Don't Forget to Exercise

We all know that we should regularly exercise to maintain mental and physical health. Exercise is a great relaxation method and it can also help you feel more energized. Fitness experts say that as you exercise you release endorphins that calm you down and lift your mood. Walking and cycling are great options.

5. Get Vitamin D from Sunlight

It is believed that this mental illness can be triggered when you don't get enough vitamin D. We receive most of our vitamin D from exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is essential to fight depression. So find out how to get enough without risking sun damage.

6. Find Time for Yourself

It's alright to be self-centered now and then. Some of you are probably getting a little confused, but now you can relax and be a little selfish. Engage in something that you enjoy, no matter how small, can be a great break from the stress of Christmas.

7. Share the Christmas Load

You might want to arrange everything for your celebration all alone. If you feel your stress levels rising with your Christmas tasks, you must consider assigning some of the responsibilities to your close families members or friends. If you are tired, you can always make your excuses for a few events.

8. Take Advantage of the Communication Opportunity

We meet a lot of people including relatives and friends during Christmas. Talk with them, laugh with them and have tons of fun. Interacting with others produces oxytocin, which is helpful for your mental and physical well-being.

9. Get Adequate Sleep

Partying all night is fun but it is not good for your physical and mental well-being. Get adequate and sound sleep of 8 hours every night.

10. Seek Professional Help and Family Help

If you are not well, don't hesitate to ask help from your family members, relatives or friends. You may take a decision of suffering alone thinking of spoiling others festive mood. If you continually feel a stress, depression, or anxiety, seek help from professionals.

Hope these tips will help you make your holidays brighter without stress, anxiety and other phycological issues. Now, the bells are ringing! Put up the tree, the holly and the ivy. God bless and Merry Christmas.

References:

1. http://www.who.int/mental_health/en/

2. http://www.mentalhealth.org/

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health

Source-Medindia