By Danielle Friedman in the NYT
The holidays may be known for their go-go-go stressful energy, but we also tend to spend a lot of time in December being sedentary. Historically, people are least physically active during the winter, thanks to falling temperatures, limited hours of sunlight, calendars jam-packed with travel and social commitments and, of course, the tug of the couch after too much eggnog.
Americans are five times more likely to say their stress level increases rather than decreases during the holidays. And while these higher stress levels aren’t only caused by a lack of physical activity, the lethargy certainly doesn’t help, said Dr. Rebecca Brendel, president of the American Psychiatric Association and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard University Medical School.
Exercise can be a key way to combat the stress of the season. And it can take whatever shape and form you prefer.
If you already have an established fitness routine, keep it up. Research shows that, over time, regular exercise can help to prevent stress in the first place by improving our body’s ability to neutralize stress-causing hormones and by increasing dopamine receptors in the brain, allowing us to feel more joy.
And if you haven’t been consistently working out? You can turn to exercise “as needed,” in the same way you might take an Advil for a headache, said Sepideh Saremi, a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of Run Walk Talk, a Los Angeles-based therapy program in which she treats her clients while engaging in physical activity. Research suggests that a single session of intense exercise (whatever that means for you) can boost your mood for up to 24 hours.
While just about any movement can offset holiday overwhelm, we asked mental health experts who focus on the mind-body connection for their best advice for this particular time of year.
Do the opposite of what’s keeping you down.
The holidays can feel constricting, both physically and psychologically. Travel requires squeezing yourself into small spaces in airplanes or trains and crowded parties intrude on your personal space. A relative’s backhanded compliments about your life choices can make you feel emotionally small, too.
When you’re feeling squeezed, do a workout (or single exercise) that encourages the body to take up space, said Erica Hornthal, a dance therapist in Chicago.
Ms. Hornthal suggested carving out time for full body, reach-for-the-sky style stretching sessions. Even two to three minutes of this can help to offset feeling cramped. She also recommended shaking off the feeling of constriction. “Shake your hands, shake your head — kind of like an animal after it gets wet,” she said. “You can make a game out of it if you have kids.”