Tips to Help Reduce Holiday Stress This Year





In a standard yr, vacation stress generally is a lot. However including the pandemic and being away from household… and it may well turn out to be very overwhelming.

Erica Cardenas, host of YurView’s Your Health, present, interviews Dr. Wendy Watson, Medical Director for the Outpatient Clinic at Valleywise Behavioral Health Center, about the perfect methods to cope with stress on the holidays.

Watch the video above for tricks to alleviate stress, or learn the complete interview transcription we’ve offered beneath. (frivolously edited for readability)

What to do if you happen to can’t be with household

Erica Cardenas, host of Your Well being (00:08) – Right here to offer us some skilled recommendation on how one can cope with the stress is Dr. Wendy Watson. Physician, thanks a lot for being with us.

Dr. Wendy Watson, Valleywise Behavorial Well being Middle (00:15) – Thanks a lot for having me.

EC (00:17) – Now, vacation stress could be very actual for many individuals. Are you seeing together with your sufferers that it’s extra irritating in the course of the pandemic?

WW (00:26) – Completely, Erica. We have now this baseline vacation stress that we at all times have yearly. After which it’s mixed with this actually sort of whole-year-long pandemic stress. And the 2 mixture is basically simply sort of making folks actually sort of really feel unsure about what to do and never even know what precisely to do for the vacations. So I undoubtedly really feel like individuals are extra burdened than ever proper now.

EC (00:50) – Now, let’s speak about individuals who can’t be with their household this yr. What recommendation do you’ve got for them?

WW (00:57) – My recommendation I’ve for them is definitely to plan and actually attain out to folks, actually plan that point collectively. As a result of whereas we are able to’t actually be bodily collectively, we are able to nonetheless do issues to be sure that we’re truly collectively on that special occasion. Whether or not it’s Hanukkah or Christmas, we actually can simply say… have a look at grandma’s time, grandma’s Japanese time. Have a look at our time, and we’re Western time. And ensure we plan a particular second collectively that may actually make all of the distinction on the earth, not only for ourselves, however the folks we love.

How one can assist your youngsters cope

EC (01:30) – Completely. Now let’s speak about our children. How can we assist our children deal with the ifferences this vacation season?

WW (01:37) – Effectively, since I work with households and children, that is one thing that comes up on a regular basis proper now in my follow. I feel the perfect factor to do is simply actually have that open communication. Speak to your youngsters proper now about the way it’s completely regular to be unhappy that you simply’re not going to have the ability to see grandma this yr or your cousins, that you simply’re upset that you may’t, you understand, have the Christmas that you simply had prior to now. That’s okay. And even, it’s okay to share at this level that mother is upset or dad’s upset and upset that we are able to’t try this this yr.

(02:14) – However it doesn’t imply that we’ve got to utterly write off Christmas or the vacations, that we are able to truly do one thing particular and create one thing particular collectively.

(02:23) – And so, the opposite recommendation I give is to take a seat down, plan issues out together with your youngsters, hold your youngsters a part of it. You don’t need to do any large dinners, no large big celebrations. It may very well be one thing so simple as getting takeout and having vacation film marathon with the children. And there’s been some beautiful issues that children have provide you with, like making ornaments for the yr, actually sort of begin some new traditions, even for the long run holidays.

Indicators of stress to acknowledge

EC (02:47) – Now, many individuals might not even notice that they’re burdened. What does that seem like so folks can acknowledge it?

WW (02:55) – You already know, once I consider stress, I like to think about it actually in two parts – our minds and our our bodies. They go hand in hand. So for the thoughts, I consider perhaps having hassle with sleep. Your thoughts is racing. You’ll be able to’t go to mattress. Otherwise you’re having hassle focusing. Or, you may need some temper adjustments and really feel just a little extra irritable.

(03:15) – And for the physique, we maintain stress actually in the course of our our bodies that come out as complications, and are available out as perhaps hassle swallowing or ache. Simply clenching our jaws, plenty of ache in our neck and all that muscle rigidity, strain in our chest, abdomen points, issues like that.

(03:31) – So, actually looking for these issues inside your self is basically vital. To say, you understand, that I feel I’m getting burdened and I have to do one thing about it.

Stress busters on your thoughts and physique

EC (03:38) – Now, Physician, let’s speak about stress busters. Any suggestions or recommendation on stress busters to assist us get by the vacation season?

WW (03:46) – I like folks to return to that thoughts and that physique. So, what are you able to do on your thoughts? The most effective issues you are able to do on your thoughts is definitely growing your social interactions with others which may not be in individual, however by Zoom or by phone, reaching out to folks. You are able to do different issues like meditate.

(04:03) – Some issues you are able to do on your physique. Doing issues like yoga. Train is large for our physique. It’s a very vital option to do away with stress. Maintaining a healthy diet. And I’m not telling anyone to go on a strict food plan proper now. That’s okay. No, we’re simply doing issues which might be actually going to nourish us, nourish our souls.

Recommendation on how one can strategy the New 12 months

EC (04:19) – Now, after all, physician, we’re heading into the brand new yr. So psychologically talking, it may be quite a bit to enter 2021 with nonetheless a lot uncertainty. Any recommendation on how we must always strategy the brand new yr?

WW (04:33) – This was a yr we’ll always remember. And this vacation is a season we’ll always remember. So I actually suppose folks shouldn’t simply ignore the season. Do one thing about it. Do one thing particular. And I additionally actually encourage folks… and I’m doing this myself… trying again on the yr with out this all this destructive sort of stuff popping out, however trying again at some optimistic issues, some actually fantastic issues which have occurred in our lives.

(05:00) – Trying again at my yr, I’m so grateful my mother-in-law went into remission. She’s fantastic, candy. I acquired to see my niece’s first steps. There’s some lovely issues that occurred. And I actually encourage folks to put in writing them down and browse them to your self. And to essentially, sort of create your individual narrative or your individual story for this yr. It’s not all destructive. There’s some actually fantastic issues that occur. And there’s some actually large hope for the long run.

EC (05:28) – Completely. Such nice recommendation. Thanks a lot, Dr. Watson, for being with us. For extra assets, head over to the website.