Christmas is typically one of the most stressful events of the year but our everyday lives seem to have become increasingly more stressful. We all seem to have been affected in some way by the economic crisis and with the media constantly thrusting doom and gloom down our throats it’s hard to stay calm and maintain a positive outlook.

If you celebrate Christmas the chances are that you are stressed out right now. Stress, especially prolonged stress, is very damaging to your health. It can affect your whole body but your digestion, your immune system and detox system are particularly affected. This is accompanied by increasing levels of acidity in the body which always ends in disease.

Here are a few tips to help you cope with the holiday stress:

Help your body’s chemistry

Your body’s response to stress is a chemical process. Hormones and other
elements that control this are affected by your diet and environment. It’s easy
to skip meals if you are rushed and stressed. Eating regular meals and nutritious
foods that support your hormonal and nervous systems will help you manage
stress more effectively.

Minimize the use of stimulants such as coffee, regular tea, chocolate, sugar
and food additives.

Eat more fruit and vegetables

Foods rich in the minerals magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamins B
and C nourish your nervous system and adrenal glands which control the stress
response. Fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds are excellent sources.
Green vegetables are rich in magnesium and calcium while most fruits supply
plenty of potassium and Vitamin C.

Eat a variety of colorful foods — greens, reds, oranges, yellows. The vitamins,
minerals and other plant nutrients they contain help your body’s restorative
efforts.

Balance your blood sugar.

Avoid refined and processed foods that are lacking in fiber and nutrients. These
foods place even more stress on the body and the swings in blood sugar levels
they cause can make you feel anxious and nervous.

Researchers have found that eating some protein with carbohydrate provides
support to the adrenal glands by reducing the stimulation of cortisol, a stress
hormone.

Nuts, seeds, beans and lentils are good anti-stress foods as they contain
both protein and carbohydrate which helps to keep the blood sugar steady.
Alternatively combine carbohydrates with proteins such as brown rice with
chicken or eat a few nuts with fruit.

Drink more water

Our body is about 75% water and dehydration affects its ability to manage
stress. It’s easy to get dehydrated if it’s cold where you live and you keep the
heating on high. Drink a daily minimum of 8 glasses of pure water. Herbal
teas, fresh juices or fresh vegetable soups can count towards this amount.

Include Omega 3 fats.

Include good quality, unrefined fats and oils. Foods rich in Omega 3 fatty
acids help lower the stress hormone cortisol and the inflammation it causes.
Foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids are oily fish (eat only low mercury fish),
walnuts, flax seeds and hemp seeds.

Reduce alcohol consumption and smoking

These rob the body of many nutrients which are needed to to process them
as well as those that support your nervous system and adrenal glands.

Eat slowly

Stress seems to make people eat faster. Digestion starts in the mouth. Chew
your food really well so you digest it well and get the nourishment from it.
Undigested food encourages the bad bacteria to flourish in your gut causing
bloating and gas as well as the production of toxins.

Exercise

Moving your body is a great way to fight stress. Moderate exercise encourages
the production of endorphins, your “feel-good hormones.” It helps reduce blood
pressure and balance blood sugar levels. Too much exercise on the other hand
can increase your output of stress hormones.

If you are very stressed try yoga, Tai-Chi, brisk walking or rebounding.

Deep Breathing

You body produces energy when the carbohydrate you eat reacts with oxygen
you breath in. When you are tensed and stressed its easy to shallow breathe.
Deeper breathing energizes you and clears your mind.

Try The 4-7-8 Relaxing Breath Exercise

Try to sit when doing this exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the
ridge of the roof of your mouth just behind your upper front teeth, and keep
it there through the entire exercise.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

• Hold your breath for a count of seven.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a
  total of four breaths.

• This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Do it twice a day.

Get some good quality sleep.

Prolonged stress increases the stress hormone cortisol which in turn can
prevent you sleeping well. It becomes a vicious cycle. If this is a problem
for you try these things:

• Turn off the TV in the evening. Read a book instead.

• Dim the lights – When your eyes are exposed to lights your pineal gland in your brain will not secrete the melatonin you need for a good night’s sleep. You should sleep in total darkness.

• Listen to relaxing music.

• Take a hot bath with Epsom salts before bed.

• Use essential oils, like lavender.

• Ask someone to give you a foot massage,  it is very relaxing.

Think positive, be positive

Everyone has been affected by the economic crisis in some way and it can be hard to think positive but focusing on positive thoughts stimulates the release of chemicals in the brain which support and enhance positive feelings.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and moan about life with everyone else but finding something positive to think about will make a lot of difference.