HEALTH

from Explore Big Sky - December 17 to 30, 2021

FINANCE

Stress and the holiday season

BY SHANNON STEELE

EBS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COLUMNIST

“To be ‘well’ is not to live in a state of perpetual safety and calm, but to move fluidly from a state of adversity, risk, adventure, or excitement, back to safety and calm, and out again. Stress is not bad for you; being stuck is bad for you.” - Emily Nagoski, “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle”

Contrary to what commercial advertising, streets filled with twinkling lights, Buddy from “Elf,” and “Jingle Bell Rock” tell you, it may not feel like “the most wonderful time of the year.” The holidays often bring up a slew of emotions, especially for those used to grinding through what is likely the most hectic time of year. Let’s just say the only thing you may be looking forward to this holiday season is Jan. 1.

The holiday season can make us feel warm, excited, messy, sad, lonely, confused and overwhelmed all at once. Whatever may be coming up for you, it is important to acknowledge that our nervous systems have been through the wringer over the past 23 months.

A January 2021 Stress in America survey identified the most common sources of stress and found that anxiety, sadness and anger were the top three most common emotions.

COVID-19 and the first shelter-in-place hit the U.S. in March of 2020 resulting in a ripple of consequences: a state of emergency, stay-at-home orders, essential workers continuing to work through uncertainty, while thousands of others were laid-off, school transitioned to virtual education, a high death toll and loss of loved ones. Amidst the pandemic is political unrest and racial injustice, compounding what was already a uniquely stressful state of being. Oftentimes we are able to compartmentalize stressors in our lives, “Not now. I need to deal with that later.” The thing about chronic, collective and prolonged stress, however, is that it weighs heavy on our nervous systems and those emotions we are putting in a box, high on a shelf can get stuck.

Under normal conditions, a stressor (coming upon a grizzly bear while hiking) activates the fight-or-flight response and your survival instincts kick in: heart rate increases, pupils dilate, blood flow moves to your arms and legs, hormones are released, and there’s a burst of adrenaline mobilizing you to fight (whipping out your bear spray) or run in the opposite direction.

Once the threat of the bear has passed, your relaxation response ignites, returning your blood pressure, heart rate, digestive functioning and hormones to normal levels. In this scenario, running or fighting allowed your body to discharge the energy and emotion (fear) built up from the stressful situation, and your nervous system returned to an evenkeel, groovy state.

However, because of the last 23 abnormal months, we are collectively experiencing chronic and prolonged stress resulting in a wacked out nervous system. You may be feeling hyper-aroused (anxious, unable to relax, restless, emotional, irritable and angry) or hypo-aroused (depressed, flat, tired and disconnected). This type of unresolved stress can have real physical health consequences: headaches, chronic pain, catching a cold, having difficulty sleeping and more. Additionally, prolonged stress has a negative effect on thinking clearly, logically and making good decisions.

While Big Sky ramps up for the holiday season, it is important to remember that our bodies need to slow down and take time to reset so we can avoid getting stuck and return to a calm, baseline state.

Shannon Steele is the behavioral health program officer at the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, and values a collaborative and community-centered approach to mental/behavioral health and wellness. She has a background in mind-body wellness and community health, and is also a certified yoga instructor and active volunteer. Community, wellness and the outdoors have always been pillars in Shannon’s life.

3 TIPS FOR COPING WITH STRESS DURING THE HOLIDAYS

1. Allow: Let’s allow ourselves to be as we are and feel whatever we feel in every moment. Life is messy and it is a part of being human, so feel all the things without judgement. According to Harvard brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, the cycle of an emotion is 90 seconds. Ninety seconds is all it takes to identify an emotion and allow it to dissipate by simply noticing it.

Tip: When an emotion comes up, pause, notice and label what you are feeling, and watch it go away.

2. Get outside: There is a link between exposure to nature and reduction in stress. You may feel relief within minutes of being outside. Research has shown exposure results in decreased muscle tension, blood pressure and brain activity, as well as a reduction in the stress hormone cortisol and a boost in endorphin and dopamine levels, which promote happiness. A Big Sky community member and wellness navigator volunteer, Andy Nagel says, “Our biggest strength in Big Sky is our easy access to nature, wilderness, mountains, wildlifem, and so much more. An incomprehensible rhythm and flow exists here that is irresistible and therapeutic. At the same time, there’s a lot of people here that don’t experience that because the struggle is real. Big Sky is a hard place to live. Experiencing solace in the outdoors on its simplest level shouldn’t be a struggle, or hard to achieve. How can we watch out for each other, simply by making sure our friends, peers, and co-workers are experiencing the outdoors in some way, shape or form on a consistent basis?”

3. Avoid getting stuck: There are simple tools we can use daily that calm our nervous system and activate the relaxation response including breathing techniques and movements.

TRY THESE TECHNIQUES

Box Breathing: Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, breathe out for four, hold for four (repeat for five rounds minimum).

Vagus Nerve Tapping: Using your first finger and middle finger with both hands, begin tapping your sternum just below your collarbone. The vagus nerve is a link between our brain, nervous system and other parts of our body including heart, lungs, organs, stomach and intestine. As the brain takes in messages from all parts of the body, it also communicates information out to the body. Tapping the vagus nerve signals the nervous system to relax.