‘Tis the season for joy, excitement, special memories and maybe a little bit of added stress. We have discussed how stress can have an affect on your overall health and wellness in our article Turning Stress to Strength! Three types of stressors are physical, psychological and spiritual, all of which can be increased during the holiday season.
Examples of physical stressors include:
- Infection
- Illness
- Pain
- Caregiving
- Chores
- Injury
- Surgery
- Inflammatory foods
Psychological stressors can be identified as:
- Family conflict
- Marital strife
- Challenging school coursework
- Difficult boss
- Financial hardship
- Lack of social support
- Neglect
- Verbal abuse
- Abandonment
- Trauma
Spiritual stressors can be categorized into Past/Present/Future:
Past: Spiritual stressors that focus on our PAST experiences:
- Anger– my rights have been violated
- Bitterness– my anger is justified
- Guilt– my moral compass is contradicted
Present: Spiritual stressors that focus on our PRESENT circumstances:
- Lust– my desires are unfulfilled
- Greed– my possessions are limited
- Envy– my needs are not met, but others are
Future: Spiritual stressors that focus on our FUTURE unknowns:
- Worry– my what ifs may be reality
- Anxiety– my fears are controlling me
- Fear– my wellbeing is not secure
This month can bring extra deadlines, more items on your to-do list, and an increase in anxiety or worry. If you have been working throughout the year to manage stress in your body, you don’t want the holiday season to interfere with all your hard work! The team at Eureka! has a few tips to get through the holiday season with less stress.
Tip #1: Identify the stressor/stress.
By identifying the stress in your body you can help bring healing and have a more enjoyable holiday season. We know that many diseases stem from chronic stress and inflammation. It is important to manage the stress as it comes. Taking time each day to evaluate what is causing extra stress is a great first step in managing your stress load.
Tip #2: Start with the 5 A’s of Stress Mastery
Use the 5 A’s of Stress Mastery once you have identified the stress to help manage the stressor/stress. Ask yourself the following questions once you have identified the stressor you are experiencing.
Tip #3: Make space in your schedule!
Making space in your schedule to include the following stress management strategies into your daily routine will help decrease your overall stress load. We have mentioned tips for rest and exercise during the holidays in the articles the past few weeks. Here’s some additional tips:
- Journal (prayer, emotions, gratitude, provision, etc)
- Attend Counseling Sessions
- Biblical Ways of Dealing with Difficult People
- Listen to music
- Memorize Scripture – Recite truth affirmations
- Do exercise you enjoy
- Spend time in nature
- Get Adequate Rest (sleep and set aside time for mental/emotional rest period)
- Find a mentor to invest in your growth
- As much as within your control live peacefully with everyone
This holiday season it is important to take care of our bodies physically, emotionally and spiritually for our overall health and wellness! For additional resources on how to turn Stress into Strength join our Stress Mastery Protocol here!