10 ways to reduce stress this holiday season
10 minute read
Happy holiday season!
The holidays are upon us, and this time of year tends to be a little more stressful than usual. It’s now getting dark at 4 pm, it’s cold, not to mention the financial burden of buying gifts and/or traveling home. If you were already stressed before the holidays, this post will help. These 10 things are guaranteed to help you stress less, so you can live more.
Table of contents
10 ways to reduce stress this holiday season:
1. Take a magnesium supplement.
This magnesium citrate supplement is a key ingredient in my homemade electrolyte mix, which I drink every, single, day. Magnesium plays a crucial role in regulating neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit signals in the brain and are essential for a calm nervous system. Magnesium citrate supports the production of serotonin (a neurotransmitter linked to mood regulation) which can reduce feelings of anxiety and help lower your cortisol levels. Regularly taking magnesium citrate can make you more resilient against daily stressors. It’s absolutely a supplement worth taking, especially if you’re seeking to manage your anxiety and stress levels. Outside of anxiety and stress. here are some other common symptoms of magnesium deficiencies. Every organ in your body needs magnesium.
2. Eat more fatty fish or take a Vitamin D supplement.
If you live in the northern half of the US, you are no longer getting vitamin D from the sun in the fall and winter months—but your body still needs it! Vitamin D plays a crucial role in regulating mood and promoting mental well-being. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to increased feelings of anxiety and depression. Additionally, adequate vitamin D can help enhance the body's stress response, improving resilience and emotional stability. Vitamin D also plays a huge role in keeping your immune system strong and resilient against colds, COVID-19, and the flu.
Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are excellent sources of vitamin D that can provide significant amounts of this vital nutrient. Other sources include egg yolks and certain mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light. However be aware that mushrooms contain Vitamin D2, while animal sources contain Vitamin D3.
If you don’t eat fish, consider taking a highly bioavailable form of the supplement, like Quicksilver Scientific Nanoemulsion D3K2, which a good friend of mine recommended. However, also be aware you must not over-consume Vitamin D supplements, otherwise you may poison yourself.
3. Get 8 hours of sleep per night.
You might be sick of hearing this, but seriously folks, if you aren’t getting enough sleep there is zero chance your body has the energy to help you reduce stress. You must get out of fight or flight (aka survival mode) if you want to lower your cortisol levels and live a stress / anxiety-free life. Sleep WILL help your body do that.
When you don’t get enough sleep, the body perceives this lack of rest as a form of stress, prompting the adrenal glands to release more cortisol. Chronic sleep deprivation means consistently high cortisol levels, which can contribute to weight gain, increased anxiety, and a reduced ability to cope with stress effectively. Prioritizing sleep is a must for stress management and overall health.
4. Eat more protein.
Eating enough protein is extremely important for your overall health but it’s also extremely important for stress management and mood regulation. Protein provides the building blocks for serotonin and dopamine, the neurotransmitter hormones that help regulate your stress response. Consuming enough protein can also help stabilize blood sugar levels, which is important for preventing “hanger” and mood swings due to blood sugar spikes. Try to eat 20-30 grams of protein at every meal.
In order to feel good, we must fuel good.
Our bodies need the right amount of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs) and enough micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to accommodate bodily functions, like stress management. If you follow me on social media you already know animal-sourced protein is 90% of my diet. And it’s for good reason. Animal sources of protein are the most nutrient-dense, bioavailable foods on the planet.
5. Don't overbuy this Christmas.
Money can be stresssssful. Especially when you don’t have enough of it. I get it, you want to get everyone the perfect gift, but is it worth going broke, or putting yourself further in debt? Give yourself the gift of financial stability. Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is your time, energy, and love—which doesn’t have to cost you a dime. I know I’ve stressed myself out in past years trying to get everybody a gift when my budget is low.
This year, my family decided we are only buying gifts for the kids. We are going to enjoy our time together and save ourselves a few bucks. I’m going to gift everyone in my family a card full of kind words that express my love and gratitude for them, and that’s enough.
Consider making gifts also. Last year I gave everyone a small jar of my homemade electrolyte power. The year before I made everyone a jar of my homemade essential oil, magic elixir. This year I’m going to bring some homemade date butter to share with the family. Get creative and share something that’s special and unique to you. Don’t stress about buying everyone the perfect gift. Just show up, and share your love if that’s all you can afford. And know that it is enough.
6. Practice gratitude daily.
This is so simple, yet so powerful. Practicing gratitude can significantly reduce stress by shifting focus from negative thoughts to positive ones. When we regularly acknowledge and appreciate what they have, it fosters a mindset of contentment and happiness. This mindset shift lowers stress and anxiety levels and promotes emotional well-being. Practicing gratitude can improve your overall mental health and help you cope with new challenges that arise.
I pray and thank God every day, for every little thing I’m grateful for. If you’re not religious you don’t have to pray, but grab a notebook, label it your gratitude journal, and spend 5-10 minutes a day writing down everything you're grateful for. It’s a wonderful mental exercise that can help you rewire your brain to see the good in things, versus the bad, resulting in a less stressful life.
7. Stretch and breathe.
The combination of stretching and intentional breathwork helps lower cortisol levels and reduce tension physically and emotionally. Controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to shift from a state of stress to a state of peace. It’s great for physical flexibility and strength too. There is a reason that yoga is an effective tool for managing stress.
Sometimes, I just lay on the ground and do whatever random stretch feels good to me at that moment. It doesn’t have to be a 30-minute yoga routine—unless you want it to be. Even just 10 minutes of child pose, cobra, and pigeon pose, coupled with some deep, slow, nasal breathing help me relax and clear my mind. Next time you are feeling anxious or stressed, give some stretching and breathing a chance.
8. Quit consuming seed oils.
Toxic oils to avoid
Canola (rapeseed) oil, Corn oil, Cottonseed oil, Grapeseed oil, Peanut oil, Rice bran oil, Safflower oil, Soybean oil, Sunflower oil, Palm oil
A diet rich in seed oils is not only destroying your physical health, it’s also impacting your mental health, stress levels, and emotional response. Their high omega-6 fatty acid content causes inflammation in the body, and increased inflammation has been linked to elevated cortisol levels. In addition, an imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, can alter neurotransmitter function and exacerbate anxiety and mood swings.
Seed oils are in pretty much everything you buy that isn’t a single ingredient food. They are used in most restaurants too. So if you eat a lot of processed foods, or eat out a lot, these oils may be part of the reason you’re stressed, suffer from anxiety, or have mood swings. I highly encourage you to check your labels. Try not to buy foods that contain seed oils. Tt home, cook with butter, tallow, ghee, lard, coconut oil, or avocado oil. And go watch Fed a Lie on Youtube to learn more.
9. Reduce blood sugar spikes.
The standard American Diet favors refined carbohydrates (cereal, bagels, waffles, pancakes, bread, pizza, cakes, muffins, pastries, etc.) Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. When carbs are eaten in excess, it can lead to rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels, triggering the release of cortisol. As the body responds to this surge, insulin is released to help lower blood glucose levels. If this process occurs repeatedly, it can result in a cycle of high and low blood sugar, which may cause feelings of anxiety and irritability. Aka hanger. Conversely, chronic stress can exacerbate blood sugar fluctuations, creating a cycle where unstable glucose levels contribute to further stress. Diet plays a much bigger role in our stress than most people realize.
Starting your day with protein can help reduce blood sugar spikes throughout the day. I also never eat the carbs in my meal first. It’s a rule in my house, my daughter and I always eat some protein first, then our carbs. Don’t drink juice, or soda, or have anything sweet on an an empty stomach. This will all help reduce blood sugar spikes.
10. End toxic relationships.
I know from experience how much an unhealthy relationship can negatively impact your life. Constantly fighting to be seen, heard, or understood is exhausting. Being disrespected, belittled, and unsupported is exhausting. Constantly questioning yourself, or keeping your feelings inside because you don’t have a safe space to express them is exhausting. Exhausting and stressful. Toxic relationships can cause you to feel trapped on an emotional rollercoaster, which leads to elevated cortisol levels, which can quickly turn into anxiety and depression.
It could be a partner, a friend, a family member, or even your job. I’ve had unhealthy friendships and romantic partners, but one of the most unhealthy relationships I ever had was actually with an old job. It sucked the life out of me.
Distancing yourself from toxic or unhealthy relationships, and removing negative influences, can significantly reduce your stress and give you a more fulfilling life. It also opens the door to more positive, supportive connections. It’s not always easy, but your well-being, peace, and happiness are worth it.
Summary
Stress causes cortisol spikes. A little cortisol is healthy, but if feeling overwhelmed, anxious, irritable, angry, depressed, fatigued, and/or a desire to isolate yourself is your norm, you probably have an imbalance of cortisol (aka chronic stress). These symptoms are your body’s way of crying out for help.
Many factors contribute to stress and elevated cortisol. At the same time, many things factor into your body’s ability to handle stress. Making sure you are getting adequate magnesium, vitamin D, protein, and sleep will help support your body’s ability to manage stress. Removing seed oils from your diet and reducing the number of blood sugar spikes you have in a day will reduce inflammation and cortisol spikes. Practical things like not overspending or overthinking this Christmas can give you some internal peace. Making time for yourself to stretch and breathe, and write in a gratitude journal can also help you slow down, think more positively, and reduce your stress levels. Although it’s not the easiest or quickest solution, ending toxic or draining relationships is a guaranteed way to reduce stress, and in the long run a brighter, happier, more peaceful future.
No matter who you are, or what type of health journey you are on, stress management is a foundational step on your path to health and success.
I really hope these 10 things help you as much as they have helped me. Questions, comments, thoughts, personal anecdotes—please comment below. Thanks for reading. :)
