It is estimated that over 90% of adults in the United States feel some sort of increased stress during the holiday season. As it turns out, for many women, the most wonderful time of the year also happens to be one of the busiest times of the year. The American Psychological Association concludes that stress harms our bodies and specifically, our immune systems. The caring staff at Fayetteville Women’s Care wants to make sure that you are taking care of yourself always, but even more so in the next few weeks.
Find time in the chaos to breathe. Do something just for you to unwind from the gift buying, the holiday parties and the unending baking and cooking. Treat yourself to a manicure or pedicure, unwind in a nice bubble bath, read a great book or cuddle up on the couch to watch your favorite holiday movie. Many women find that the best way to manage stress at anytime of the year is to increase their physical movement. Exercise, even low impact exercise, has been shown to reduce stress.
Know when to say no. No to more tasks to complete, no to more alcohol or sweets than your body can handle, and no to anything that will put your physical, mental or emotional health at risk. If you have women’s health appointments during the next few weeks, make sure to keep them.
In order to be as stress free as possible during the holidays, you cannot overestimate the benefits of prior planning. Everything from holiday dinner menus to travel itineraries can and should be planned well in advance to prevent last minute chaos from happening. As women’s health professionals, we cannot say enough how important staying hydrating and getting a good night’s sleep is to your overall health at anytime during the year.
We love the advice we recently read that said that this holiday season you should not “go into debt trying to show people how much you love them, visit your family if it compromises your mental health and if someone comments on your weight – eat them”. Obviously, that last part is a joke, but this holiday season, the team at Fayetteville Women’s Care really hopes that you will take your health seriously as you enjoy yourself. If you are looking for women’s health professionals who strive to take the very best care of their patients, give us a call at (910) 323-2103 today.