Surviving the Holidays (and Every Day) at Home and Work

By Sara Butler

December is here. That means you can’t avoid getting together with family and friends this month to celebrate the season -- and there’s no avoiding your Uncle Earl. You don’t need to merely survive the holidays if you have the right tools. Here are a few tips from the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic to help you survive and thrive this holiday season.

At Home

The holidays are supposed to be a time to get together with family and friends and celebrate, but let’s keep it real: the holidays can be a source of major stress for many for a variety of reasons. Here are a few simple strategies to help make your holidays easier to manage at home:

• Try to stick to your regular routine - Changing your regular routine can make things more stressful, so stick to what you normally do as much as you can. Exercise when you normally would and, as well, try to eat as you normally do.
• Aim for moderation - It is easy to eat or drink too much at a holiday party or dinner. You may overindulge at points during the season but try to aim for moderation so that you don’t end up feeling bad physically and feeling guilty.
• Try to stay realistic - You may want your holiday to be as picture-perfect as a Norman Rockwell painting, but that’s simply not realistic. Nobody is perfect so embrace your family’s quirks and recognize that you’re all individuals who make the holidays their own.
• Ask for help - The holidays can be overwhelming because you may feel as if you have so much to do. Don’t take on too much and try to ask for help when you can from family and friends to help you carry the load.
• Be nice to yourself - The holidays are about goodwill toward everyone but don’t leave yourself out of the equation! Do something nice for yourself and invest in self-care to help you make it through the season at your best.

At Work

The holidays don’t just impact your home life, it also impacts your work life. Naturally, this can ramp up work stress -- and that’s no way to spend your holiday! Here are a few tips you can use to survive the holidays at work:

• Ask for time off - If you want to take time off for the holidays, make sure that you do it as soon as you can. Remember that for many businesses, the end of the year is a busy time and so you need to make sure to have all your reindeer in a row if you want to take time off.
• Acknowledge the stress - Speaking of time off, acknowledge that if you’re going to have time off, then you will have less time to work on your to-do list. Be realistic about what you can accomplish before your final day at work for the year.
• Go to the holiday work party - Sure, you may dread attending after being forced into the group “We Are Family” singalong last year, but this is a work event in which you need to make an appearance in spite of the karaoke machine. Show up on time, act professionally, and thank the hosts before you leave.
• Watch what you eat - This time of the year, it’s not uncommon for your coworkers to provide tasty treats for the break room. You should try to limit these treats for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not good to take a huge departure from healthy eating habits. Two, it’s cold and flu season, so any unwrapped goodies might transfer germs that could make you sick!

At The Joint Chiropractic, we hope you have a happy, healthy, and festive holiday season. Remember, the holidays only come once per year and will be over soon -- you can make it! And don’t forget that one of the best things you can do as you wrap up this year and head into the next is to see the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic for regular adjustments to help keep your body functioning at its very best.

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this page are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this post is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics, including but not limited to the benefits of chiropractic care, exercise and nutrition. It is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your chiropractor, physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this page.