The Christmas season is known as the most wonderful time of the year, and with good reason. The idea of spending time with loved ones, exchanging gifts and singing Christmas carols brings a smile to many faces. But with such a jam-packed agenda, it can be hard to find the balance between relaxation and over doing it.
Unfortunately, a busy schedule isn't the only thing that can impact your stress levels during the holidays. It's easy to put healthy eating habits on the back burner, especially if you spend Christmas with family members who always bring decadent, fatty dishes to the holiday feast. This, in turn, can put an enormous amount of physical and mental pressure on you if you're trying to make health-conscious meal choices.
How Does Stress Impact Your Overall Well-Being?
When faced with a situation that causes anxiety, the body produces the stress hormone cortisol. It's supposed to help balance the mental pressure. Unfortunately, cortisol has been found to cause symptoms of depression.
But cortisol doesn't only make an impact on your mental health. If your body doesn't react well to stress, it can cause organs that normally eliminate toxicity and metabolic waste to falter. This can speed up one's likelihood of developing disease and illness, according to Ann Malkmus' book, "Unravel the Mystery."
Furthermore, the imbalance of hormones can lead to increased blood sugar and also cause you to gain weight.
How Can I Balance the Holiday Stress?
Having stress in your life is inevitable. But there are certainly ways to decrease your stress levels during the Christmas season. Consider these three tips:
1. Make Rest a Priority
It may be tempting to stay up late to finish wrapping Christmas presents, but a good night's sleep is critical for your overall health and well-being, both physically and mentally. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults aged between 26 and 64 get seven to nine hours every night. Adults aged 65 and older should get seven to eight.
2. Focus on the True Meaning of Christmas
It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of gift-giving, but it's important to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Take the time to reach out to God throughout the holidays. After all, He is the reason for the season. Praying can give you the strength you need to defeat the anxiety you're feeling at this time of the year.
3. Stick to Healthy Eating Habits
A crazy schedule often leads to stress during the holiday season, but perhaps being busy isn't the only cause. If you're eating meat products, refined sugars, caffeine and dairy, you're fueling your body - and mind - improperly, according to Rev. George Malkmus in his book "The Hallelujah Diet."
"The brain, which is a defenseless organ," Malkmus wrote, "is dependent on the quality of its fuel; it can't store energy, it survives only a few minutes without oxygen and it quickly decays under unfavorable conditions."
Because of this, making smarter choices about the foods you're choosing to fuel your body with will make an impact on your emotional well-being.
Following the Hallelujah Diet is simple and it delivers noticeable results. It can, however, be difficult to pursue if you're not sure how to get started. If you need a push in the right direction, consider our HD Get Started Kit. In it, you'll receive two of our best-selling products, BarleyMax and Fiber Cleanse, as well as meal plans and an informational DVD set. Join us on the path to better health today!
