The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but the holidays often bring more than just family and cheer. I’m sure you would agree that it can be quite a stressful time! High expectations, taking on too much, and over-extending our time and budget can explain why some of us feel anxious during the holidays. Most of us only think of stress as emotional, but it can take many forms: mental, physical, chemical, and financial as well.
Despite the cause of stress, our bodies are hardwired to respond to all stress in the same way. When we encounter a stressful situation, our brain coordinates a bodily response that aims to help us react appropriately to our environment. This response is called a fight-or-flight reaction. It is a necessary phenomenon and we want it to happen at the appropriate time. However, the real problem comes when this system gets activated too frequently or too often and your body doesn’t have enough time to recover properly.
Did you know that prolonged stress (especially during the holidays) can negatively affect your health by leading to high blood pressure? You can thank the release of adrenaline for this. One of two hormones released when we encounter stress is adrenaline. Adrenaline works in the body by increasing your heart rate, elevating your blood pressure, and boosting energy supplies. Prehistorically, this type of hormonal response was hugely beneficial. If we were to encounter a bear or a lion, then adrenaline helped to prepare our body and our muscles to physically respond. At present, stressors are generally not physical threats like bears or lions, but our body still responds the same way physiologically. If the response is prolonged and continues unmitigated, it can lead to profound negative health consequences.