Welcome to the season of stress. From the first bites of turkey and stuffing until those champagne glasses clinking when the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve, most of America is now in a mad dash to get everything in perfect order as we head to the 2020 finish line. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE this time of year. There is so much beauty and wonder and it's filled with the joys of family, friends, and the spirit of the holidays, but unfortunately, it's chock full of that ugly 6-letter word ... stress.
Stress in America has been on the incline over the years with 7 out of 10 people now admitting they feel the effects of stress and a third of our country feeling like they live with extreme stress. While stress can impact anyone at any age, Millennials are actually the most stressed-out generation to date. So what do we do to change that? Well, there is no such thing as a stress-free society. Stress will always be there, it's just how we manage it. The scary part is that we're becoming so desensitized to it that sometimes we don't realize when it's creeping up until it's too late.
A recent study by the Advisory Board found the average level of stress that respondents perceived as healthy increased from 3.7% in 2017 to 3.9% in 2018. Some researchers suggest that it shows our stress tolerance is just getting better as a whole. I happen to believe it's more about ignoring some early warning signs when we first see those red flags that tell us to slow down or take better care of ourselves. I know this to be true because that's exactly what happened to me.
A few years ago, a series of events on one particular day had me thinking it might be my last one on earth. I had been feeling "unwell" for months, with memory issues, trouble breathing, insomnia, heart palpitations and feeling like I was going to pass out all the time. As usual, that day was a race to get from point A to Z without skipping a beat. A flat tire in the morning before rushing off to a charity event seemed to be enough to finally force my body to say enough is enough. Before I knew it I was in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital feeling like there were cinderblocks crushing my chest.
The sound of sirens swirled around me when I heard the EMT utter the phrase, "Stay with me, Michelle" as I began to take inventory of my life. "I'm too young for this to be it," I thought. Thankfully, it wasn't, but I still didn't understand why.
After missing about a week's worth of work and undergoing a slew of tests, the prognosis - nothing was wrong with me, but the effects of stress were manifesting themselves in very real and physical ways and if I didn't reverse course those stressors could, in fact, have a fatal affect on my life. As it turned out, I was having a panic attack during that ambulance ride and I suddenly realized I had one a few months before - not in the privacy of an ambulance, but on the anchor desk as I was delivering the news to tens of thousands of viewers. It was one of the scariest moments of my life.
In the next few months, I cleared my calendar of all work-related extracurriculars and focused solely on reducing and managing the stress in my life. It's an ongoing battle, but over the years I've received some great advice, some of my favorite from a sweetheart of a woman I had the pleasure of interviewing several times - the founder of The Stress Institute in Atlanta, Dr. Kathleen Hall. The concept is simple ... making time to do all four of these things every day. It's all about S-E-L-F love.
S ... Serenity
Find at least 5 minutes a day to shut out the rest of the world. Whether it's in meditation or prayer, sitting on a bench or on the beach, or just listening to nature or throwing in air pods to listen to your favorite music - take a few minutes to find a place to clear your mind.
E ... Exercise
This is pretty self-explanatory, but for those of you out there saying "I just don't have the time" - try taking the stairs or parking a little farther away from the store. Even a 5 or 10-minute walk can make a difference. Just do your best to get moving.
L ... Love
Find someone/something to love every day. Hug a family member, cuddle with your pet, call up a friend, pop in to visit a neighbor. Not only does being social have proven health benefits, it just feels good to show someone you care about them.
F ... Food
We need to fuel our bodies and our minds with the right energy. When you're stressed, sometimes nothing can make you feel better than a big fat Christmas cookie ... or 3 or 4 (just me?). Kidding aside, when we're going through those rough patches we tend to reach for foods that are overloaded with sugar, salt, and fats. They make us feel "good" initially, but it's the healthy grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins that will benefit us the most and make us feel so much better in the long run.
The holiday season is a hectic time for most of us, myself included. It's so easy to get caught up in what we're doing that we forget to take time for ourselves. I'm hoping these tips will help, but they may not be the full solution for some of you. If you're suffering from extreme stress and/or anxiety, think about talking to someone and seeing a doctor to discuss more methods of treatment. Just know that you are not alone and remember that stress doesn't have to be a death sentence if we take the right steps to manage it. There is always hope, it's just a matter of remembering that taking care of ourselves needs to be just as, if not more important than taking care of those to-do lists.
During that scary time in my life, my doctor gave me a piece of advice that I will never forget. When it comes to doing things for others - the biggest "present" you can give the ones you love is being present for them. All the cookies, gifts, and parties in the world won't make a difference if you're not here to enjoy them. Remember to take the holidays in stride. By minimizing that to-do list for more me time and family time, you may just find you can have the happiest and healthiest holiday season yet.
