By: Elizabeth Leeds, PT, DPT 

During the holiday season, we are often focusing on others, buying gifts, seeing family, and spreading the holiday cheer. Yes, this is what the season may bring, but why not also give yourself a gift of wellness and health. Sometimes I think my autoimmune disease is a gift, which reminds me that my body, mind and spirit are interconnected. My journey with finding wellness has led me to a place of appreciation of how "stress" can effect my system. If you have worked with me, you may have heard my take on the multidimensional aspect of stress and balancing health. With the holidays often being a time of increased "stress" here are some stressors to consider and ways to combat them.

In Paul Chek's holistic lifestyle course, he discusses not only emotional/ mental stress, but also a physical, chemical, electromagnetic, nutritional, and thermal. Note that stress does not equal negativity, rather is refers to changing the homeostatic balance of the system.  Having more "positive" stressors can provide the system with a larger buffer zone increasing its adaptability. Whereas negative stressors can decrease to buffer zone leading to greater illness, lethargy, and depression.  As you learn about the below stressors, be mindful if they are applicable to you, how it may be effecting your system, and what realistic changes can you make starting today and  what ones can you strive for over the upcoming year.

Mental/emotional stress can be seen as the "chatter in the brain". Negative mental stress can be viewed as judgmental thinking, disorganization, and "should-isms".  For instance, saying phrases such as " I am such a failure," " I should have known better," I do not deserve that,"  " I need to lose 5 pounds," or I am so fat" are all examples of negative mental stress. Disorganization refers to poor planning/ goal setting or overextending yourself with commitments with work or activities.  To help offset some of this negativity, focus on changing your thought pattern. For example, " I need to lose 5 pounds" to "I desire a stronger and healthier body."  " I am such a failure" to " I have accomplished....." Set goals for yourself regarding your wellbeing for the day, as well as the week. And recognize that saying no does not equate to "I am a bad or selfish person." Saying no may be saying yes to your wellbeing.

Physical stress refers to movement. Our bodies thrive when in motion. Finding the right type of exercise for the state of wellbeing is key to maintaining a balance. If you are feeling tired, mentally stressed, nutritionally stressed, some of you may not exercise, some may do a hard intense workout whiles others will opt for a more mindful and moderate to low intensity workout. I believe there is not one workout which works for everyone, rather exploring varying types of workouts and intensities can allow you to know which one to defer to meet your needs. If you feeling exhausted, then workout that is high intensity may lead you feeling more drained and exhausted. Tai chi, yin/restorative yoga, feldenkreis, nia are all forms which restore the system and allow you to continued doing high intensity workouts during your week. The challenge is to recognize your state of wellbeing, ie how many stressors are positive or negative, and learn which workout will be the best for you. Be honest with yourself. I used to workout too hard thinking it helped my body deal with stress and overlooked some of the negative effects it had on my immune system.

Chemical stressors refer to hormones in our system, both natural and synthetic,  as well as, the chemicals on our foods and  cleaning products. Often overlooked are the chemicals on our foods and those we clean with can effect us at a very deep cellular level. The ideal is non genetically modified food, organic, and fresh, yet this tends to be unrealistic for multiple reasons, one of which is financial. So do your best , wash your veggies, and fruits, purchase natural to organic meats without added antibiotics, and minimally to non processed foods. As for the chemical stressors of hormones, a larger discussion as to imbalances and symptoms can be had at another time. For the sake of this article, recognize that it has a large role in your health, and if needed follow up with your MD if you have any questions or concerns.

Electromagnetic  stress is another insidious stress that we seldom recognize as a contributor to wellness and health.  In an age where a cell phone has become an additional body part, it is hard not to to have a constant flow of electromagnetic waves around us. They are stronger than we think. For instance, have you ever been listening to the radio, hear the static and then your phone rings?  Now, think of your day....exposure to computers, radios, phones, etc and how mush you may be impacted. And then add in under or overexposure to the sun. The sun is important for many creatures, including us. When we have too much or too little, our skin can be effected and our hormones, via Vitamin D, are effected. Regardless of where you are living, be mindful of the field around you and if needed, get outside more, step away from the phone and computer, and ground  yourself with being in nature, even with a simple walk.

Nutritional stress is a topic that has multiple theories about which "diet" will lead to optimal health. The take away from all these theories is nutrition effects health. I truly believe there is not one diet that reigns supreme except for the one which is minimally  to non-processed, all natural and organic. The holidays do not typically equal this, so do your best to follow an 80-20 guideline. Eat as well as you can 80% of the time, and let yourself have 20% to not worry as much. And if you happen to go over and have more like 40% poor dietary ingestion, then please forgo the self judgement and do your best to have more positive stressors  in the chemical, thermal, electromagnetic, etc to balance the negative nutritional stress.

Lastly thermal stress. Now we are in Southern California, but that does not equal being in a perfect state of thermal balance. Thermal balance is maintaining  your body temperature , versus being too hot or cold. Imbalance can lead to irritability of the nervous, digestive and muscular systems. Think about how your muscles can ache when you're too cold, or how you may even feel sick when you are too hot.  The key is dressing appropriately, and in layers.

As you move forward with this holiday season, realize it is not just the mental and nutritional stress which may be effecting your wellness and energy, but also the other components listed above. Do your best to highlight the positive aspects of each of the above allowing your system to have a large buffer if some unexpected holiday "to dos" arise. Have a healthy and happy holiday season.