DE-STRESSING during the holidays

Take care of yourself over the holiday season when stressful situations might pop up or you find yourself feeling overwhelmed. Take breaks from group activities—go for a walk by yourself or steal away for some meditation or relaxation breathing. Reach out if you need support. Keep a regular schedule of sleep, meals, and exercise and limit alcohol intake.

Old Habits

To conserve energy and cognitive resources, the stressed brain tends to fall back on old habits over purposeful, deliberative action.

Take action to manage stress

Some helpful strategies to break up routine and enhance mental flexibility include

• mindfulness meditation

• physical activity

• social interaction

• new experiences

Take supplements to help manage stress

Stress triggers the release of the hormone cortisol, which, in excess, can be toxic to the body and brain. Certain supplements can offset that effect and boost our coping mechanisms. These include

• cannabis—may help manage stress-related symptoms

• Rhodiola rosea —an adaptogen that may help increase the body’s resistance to stress

• ashwagandha—an ancient medicinal herb

• L-theanine—which may help reduce anxiety

• B-complex vitamins—which help strengthen the nervous system and may also help reduce stress

Effectively handling stress

No matter where you’re at in life, there are ways to cope with and manage stress—or, as Sanders-Bruewer puts it, to conquer or rise above it.

Acknowledgement

One way is with emotional regulation: acknowledging rather than denying negative emotions. “Rather than judging, condemning, or worrying about your negative emotions, you can work with them, decreasing their intensity, guiding yourself back to your centre,” SandersBruewer says. “As you bring yourself back to your heart, heart emotions such as peace, calm, ease, and appreciation begin to flow.”

Attitude adjustment

Appraisal is the practice of becoming aware of which filters you look through at the world. “Do you see your life as a threat, filled with negative consequences and trouble? Or do you embrace the challenges of life, see the positive that comes about and the blessings that arise?” Sanders-Bruewer says, “An attitude adjustment is the second key in conquering stress.”

Acceptance

Finally, there’s acceptance. “Being mindful of the present moment and aware of what life is handing you in this moment opens your heart up to accept it,” SandersBruewer says.