Everyone gets stressed from time to time. At this time of year, between Thanksgiving and New Year, stress can pile up faster than blizzard snow on a freshly shoveled sidewalk. At first, you’re strolling along and having fun. But if you don’t address the added stress, it can quickly become dangerously slippery and possibly cause injury.

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Stress and Your Body

When you experience stress of any kind, your body launches a series of natural physiological reactions including:

• Faster pulse rate
• Rapid breathing
• Increased tension in muscles
• Increased brain oxygen and activity

Sound familiar? These responses are your body’s natural preparation for fight or flight.

Most of our holiday stresses don’t include life-threatening situations like running from a predator. So instead, you can use this little boost of energy and activity to motivate yourself through a tricky holiday moment – like rallying to prepare a last-minute side dish for that party you forgot. You turn that fear and panic into a lovely green bean casserole. Then your body gets a signal that all is normal again and you can enjoy the rest of the evening.

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Chronic Stress Conditions

However, if stress over the holiday is more constant, without a solution or a break, your body never receives a signal to return to normal function. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, unaddressed chronic stress can disturb your:

• Immune system
• Digestion
• Cardiovascular system
• Sleep
• Reproductive systems

Over time, this can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental challenges like depression and anxiety. That’s why keeping stress at bay over the holidays is vital to maintaining overall health and well-being.

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5 Steps to a Less Stress Holiday

Not sure how to begin? Try working these five steps from the National Institute of Mental Health into your holiday routine.

1. Be observant. Recognize the signs of your body’s response to stress, such as difficulty sleeping, being easily angered, feeling depressed, and having low energy.
2. Get regular exercise. Just 30 minutes per day of walking can help boost your mood and improve your health.
3. Try a relaxing activity. Explore relaxation or wellness programs, which may incorporate meditation, muscle relaxation, or breathing exercises. Schedule regular times for these and other healthy and relaxing activities.
4. Set goals and priorities. Decide what must get done now and what can wait. Learn to say “no” to new tasks if you start to feel like you’re taking on too much. Try to be mindful of what you have accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do.
5. Stay connected. You are not alone. Keep in touch with people who can provide emotional support and practical help. To reduce stress, ask for help from friends, family, and community or religious organizations.
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One great new way to manage stress on-demand is through the NEW Sanvello app, available at no cost to you as part of Transocean’s behavioral health benefits. Visit Sanvello.com to learn more or download the app from the Apple Store or on Google Play to get started. Once loaded the app helps with daily mood tracking, offers coping tools, guided journeys, personalized progress reports and community support.

However, if holiday stress becomes so overwhelming that you or a loved one is having thoughts of suicide, get help immediately. You can call the confidential toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Lifeline chat is a service available to everyone.

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