Walkin’ In a Stressful Wonderland

For many people, the holidays are the most stressful time of the year. There’s additional time spent with family you may or may not get along with. Our usual diets can be upended by holiday treats. And of course, there’s holiday shopping to do. None of this is helped by the fact that many other stressed-out people are on the roads and in the stores who may not exactly be in the holiday spirit and will take it out on you if you happen to get in their way.

A lot of holiday stress may be self-imposed. For example, I know someone who, every year, feels the need to knit various items for people on her gift list and who vastly underestimates the time it will take to get all of these projects done in time to ship them out to arrive by Christmas. Then there’s people who undergo considerable anxiety over what gifts to get for each person on their list. And of course, many holiday preparations involve a considerable outlay of money, which is often in short supply these days.

So, the first tip for managing holiday stress is to pace yourself. Take a moment and consider what’s really important. Do you really need to knit a complicated sweater for your niece? Do you really need to try to come up with a gift they’ll remember for the rest of their lives? Do you really need to max out your credit cards for the holidays not to be “ruined?”

Or can you maybe dial it back a bit? Maybe give a gift card instead of sweating it out trying to find the perfect gift - and instead maybe put that time and energy into enjoying just spending time with your loved ones? Maybe spend a little less money and a little more quality time with friends and family?

Taking it a little easier on your holiday prep will likely help, but there’s probably still going to be added stress and for that, there’s some things you can do that will help your body manage it.

First on the list is exercise – preferably something you enjoy so that you’re more likely to make time for it during this busy time of year. If you are under a lot of stress, it’s best not to go with extremely vigorous exercise – at least not on a frequent basis – as this can actually exacerbate the effects of stress. You can increase the intensity when the stress hopefully settles down a bit.

Walking, swimming, bicycling, even low-intensity resistance training are all good. Again, I recommend doing something you like (or at least don’t hate) so that you are more motivated to stick with it. At least 30 minutes three times per week is recommended, but if that doesn’t fit into your schedule, perhaps consider exercise “snacks” – brief periods of physical exertion of a few minutes each done a few times per day.

While it may not always be possible to avoid holiday treats like cookies, pies, and candy, it will usually help – both to maintain weight and to prevent sugar-related increases in stress reactivity – to focus on keeping portions small. For instance, instead of eating 5 or 6 cookies at a time, maybe set a strict limit of one or two.

Another extremely important factor in managing stress is to get adequate sleep. At the very least, allow enough time to sleep. You’re not going to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep if you’re only in bed for five! Stress can reduce the quality of your sleep, but exercise usually helps, as can certain supplements.

One supplement that often helps with sleep is magnesium threonate. Unlike other forms of magnesium, the threonate form can pass the blood-brain barrier and act directly on the tissues of the brain to promote relaxation and enhanced sleep. Even if you’re getting plenty of magnesium from other sources, adding a dose of magnesium threonate before bed is probably worth a try if you’re having trouble sleeping.

In addition, there are supplements that help the body resist the effects of stress, known as “adaptogens.”

There’s several adaptogens that are popular, but I’m going to focus on two that have considerable research supporting their use: ashwaganda and Korean red ginseng.

Ashwaganda has been shown to reduce the stress hormone cortisol and at the same time appears to increase strength and endurance and enhance mood and emotional stability.

Current research has also indicated that Korean red ginseng is quite effective in reducing cortisol and fortifying the body to handle both physical and emotional stress.

For ashwaganda, the usual dosage recommendation is 250 to 500 mg per day.

The recent research on Korean Red ginseng has been done using in the range of 1500 to 4500 mg per day.

I suggest you start by taking an amount at the lower end of the dosage range early in the day (breakfast time) and then perhaps experiment with taking an additional dose in the late afternoon. In some cases, adptogens help with sleep when taken late, but for others, it wakes them up and interferes with sleep, so I recommend starting with a low dose early and see how it goes. You can always bump up the dose or take a second one later in the day if you like the results.

Both ashwaganda and Korean red ginseng have the potential to bother one’s stomach (another reason to start towards the lower end of the dosage range at first), but this can often be solved by taking them with a small amount of carbohydrate (preferably not something sugary). It is thought that carbs enhance their absorption through interactions with the microbes in the gut, so if you want the benefits without the temporary stomach upset, it’s worth trying them with some carbs in your stomach.

Finally, if you find yourself in an acutely stressful situation, such as being stuck with a contentious relative, stop and take a moment to take some slow, deep breaths. If you can take a break from being around that person, maybe go for a walk or just go off by yourself for a time. If they seem to be intentionally “pushing your buttons,” try not to give them what they want by reacting with anger or upset – not reacting or only giving a minimal reaction will likely take the fun out of it for them and they might decide to leave you alone.

Ultimately, those stressful situations are usually pretty temporary, so do what you can to stay calm and carry on.

Until next time…

George F. Best, D.C.