Managing

Holiday Stress

Managing Stress During

the Holidays

Stress and Stressors

What is stress?
A state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work,
etc.
Something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety

What is a stressor?
Anything that causes stress

The Causes of Stress

What causes stress?

Work/Job
School
Relationships
Children
Natural disasters
Trauma
Mental health
Lack of time
Lack of purpose
Holidays

Finances
Grief and loss
Appearance
Self-esteem
Physical health
Legal matters
Spiritual issues
Career direction
Lack of control
Economy

Stressors are different for everyone

5

Is all stress bad?

Bad Stress
The death of a family member
Injury or illness
Conflict in interpersonal
relationships
Bankruptcy/Money problems
Unemployment
Sleep problems
Children's problems at school
Legal problems

Good Stress

Promotion or raise at work

Starting a new job
Marriage
Buying a home
Having a child
Moving
Retiring
Taking educational classes or
learning a new hobby
Holidays

Is all stress bad?

Fight-or-Flight Response
Perception is everything!
When we perceive a threat:
Our sympathetic nervous system (controls fight or flight)
is activated.
Our parasympathetic nervous system (controls rest and
digest) is suppressed.
The concentration of stress hormones (cortisol,
norepinephrine, etc.) in our blood increase.

Effects of Stress

Stress and Stressors

There are two types of stressors: chronic and acute
Acute stress is short term, manageable, and can result in emotional and
physical complications
Chronic stress is long term and can result in health problems for
extended periods of time which have the potential to worsen them

Physical Effects of Stress Hormones

Muscle tension
Increased heart rate
Increased blood pressure
Weight loss/gain
Autoimmune disease:
psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis,
IBS, ulcerative colitis, Crohns disease

Infection
Asthma
Wound healing
Diabetes
Heart attacks
Stroke
Heart disease

How Stress Affects Health

Copyright Mental Health America

Emotional & Cognitive Stress Effects

Easily annoyed
Hypersensitive
Defensive
Nervous and anxious
Irritable
Depressed
Short tempered
Feel helpless
Feel burned out

13

Forgetfulness
Poor concentration
Lack of creativity
Expecting too much
from others
Inability to make
decisions
Constant worrying
Loss of humor
Self-critical attitude
Pessimistic outlook

Managing Stress

Managing Stress
Unhealthy Stress Management
Overeating
Smoking
Healthy Stress Management
Oversleeping
Deep breathing
Alcohol/Drugs
Exercising
Anger/Lashing out
Listening to music
Reckless driving
Humor
Guided imagery
Muscle relaxation

15

Healthy Ways to Manage Stress

Religion, spirituality, reflection,

meaning
Expectations, optimism
Laughter, humor
Acquaintances, social support
X-ercise

Breathing
Belly breathing allows you to take in more air than when
breathing with just your chest. Belly breathing can help you
relax.

Lets try it!

Humor
Take a moment to think about a memory that made you
laugh.
Reframe a situation in your mind to see the humor in it.
Add these to your humor box and pull one out when you
feel stressed.
Smile and laugh.

Exercise
Regular exercise has been proven to:
Reduce stress
Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
Boost self-esteem
Improve sleep
Exercise also has these added health benefits:
It strengthens your heart.
It increases energy levels.
It lowers blood pressure.
It improves muscle tone and strength.
It strengthens and builds bones.
It helps reduce body fat.
It makes you look fit and healthy.

Holiday Stress

What causes stress around the holidays?

Lack of time
Traveling
Guests
Cooking and cleaning
Gifts
Expenses
Weather

Most Common Holiday Stressors

The American Psychological Association engaged a study
to find out:
What causes stress during the holidays
How holiday stress differs from stress at other times of the year
The differing ways to manage holiday stress

What causes stress around the holidays?

Leading Holiday Stressors
My children

Often
Sometimes

Travel
Increasing my credit card debt
Staying on a diet
Family Gatherings
Pressure of giving or getting
Commercialism or hype
Lack of Money
Lack of Time

20

40

60

80

2015 American Psychological Association

Most Common Holiday Stressors

Holiday stress has a particular impact on women
Women are more likely than men to report an increase of stress
during the holiday season.
Women report stress for having the duties of holiday planning,
preparing meals, decorating, etc.
Women are more likely to fall into bad habits to manage their stress,
like comfort eating.

Holiday Stress Stats

People in the United States are more likely to feel that their
stress increases rather than decreases during the holidays.
People who are lower middle income ($30,000-$50,000
household income) are also more likely to report an increase
in stress during the holidays.
People under 30 are more likely to report a decrease in
stress during the holidays.

Holiday Stress Study

Negative Holiday Emotions
Often

Often/Sometimes

Fatigue

25

68

Stress

20

61

Irritability

11

52

Bloating

28

Sadness

36

Anger

35

Loneliness

26
2015 American Psychological Association

26

Holiday Stress Study

Holiday Changes in Stress Levels

Increase
Decrease
Stays about the same

2015 American Psychological Association

27

Stress Stats
The leading holiday stressors are
Time
Money
Commercialism or hype

In contrast, work and money are leading stressors during

the rest of year.

Managing Holiday Stress

How do you manage stress during the

holidays?
Whether your stress is chronic or acute, good or bad, it is
important to manage your stress in a healthy way to avoid
negative health consequences.
Stress management is not a one size fits all; everyone is
different. So are the ways each person chooses to manage
stress. Try out a few techniques and pick the one you like
best!

Holiday Stress Relief

1. Stay healthy
Take a nap/get full night of sleep
Eat strategically
2. Include the people you love
Hug them!
Ask them for help
3. Sing a song
4. Make believe
5. Make something
Homemade gifts
6. Put on a happy face
7. Play
Make responsibilities fun and healthy
8. Take a timeout

Combat That Holiday Stress

1. Keep things simple
2. Let go of unrealistic expectations
3. Underbook yourself
4. Take a few moments for yourself each day
5. Breathe deeply
6. Spend time with people who truly care about you
7. Set a budget for gifts and entertaining
8. Enjoy thinking about all the things you are thankful for
9. Sleep, be active, nap, be active, repeat
10. Take photos of times you enjoy

Solving Holiday Travel Stress

Mail gifts ahead of time

Make what-if plans
Bring personal, special accommodations
Respect the house rules

Flying
Know when to book
Know when you travel
Check for delays and
cancellations
Use smaller airports

Driving
Enjoy the drive
Prepare
Be kind to your body

In Summary:
The holiday season is time for enjoying family and friends,
but sometimes it can be stressful.
When the holidays do get stressful, remember to RELAX.
Try different stress management techniques to find what
works best for you!
Managing stress in healthy ways doesnt always come
naturally, but practice makes perfect!

UPMC Health Plan is ready to help.

Lifestyle programs
Condition management programs
Assistance and support
Tools and materials
(by phone, online, email, or mail)

What can a health coach do for you?

Explore reasons to begin making changes

Offer information and education
Assist you with new new skills
Help you challenge yourself with new goals
Help you stay on track
Offer guidance, encouragement, and reinforcement

Ask your coach about program incentives!

Lifestyle
Call

1-800-807-0751 to speak to a MyHealth lifestyle health coach

Topics:
Tobacco cessation
Weight management
Stress management
Nutrition basics
Physical activity
or a personalized
program just for you!

Five options:
Coach on call
Onsite program
Telegroup
Self-study workbook
Self-study online
Monday through Friday:
7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday:
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Condition management
Call

1-866-778-6073 to speak to a health coach

who specializes in condition management

Topics include:
Low back pain
Diabetes
Heart problems
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Asthma
COPD
Cancer
Depression
Behavioral health
and many more

Monday - Friday:
7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday:
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

LifeSolutions
Call

1-800-647-3327 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

to schedule an appointment with a LifeSolutions counselor

LifeSolutions can provide support for lifes everyday challenges

- at home and work - and connect you to resources.

Counseling sessions

24/7 telephone support

WorkLife services

Day and evening appointments are available.

Services are free and confidential.

Have a

wonderful stress-

free Holiday this season

Stress" Def. 1D. Merriam Webster Online, Merriam Webster.

Miller, Lyle H. and Smith, Alma Dell. Stress: The Different Kinds of Stress. APA. "Stress: Coping with
Everyday Problems." Mental Health America.
" Good Stress, Bad Stress." Stanford Medicine Newsletter. Stanford University School of Medicine, 2012.
Anderson, Mike. "The Importance of Managing Stress." Well-Balanced Teacher. ASCD. Sept. 2010.
Robinson, Lawrence, Melinda Smith, and Robert Segal. "Stress Management." Help Guide. Oct. 2015.
Goldberg, Joseph. "Exercise and Depression." WebMD. 19 Feb. 2014.
"Holiday Stress." American Psychological Association. 1 Dec. 2006.
Asp, Karen. "9 Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies." Real Simple.

"How to Sneak in Holiday Exercise." Readers Digest. Trusted Media Brands, Inc.
Stapen, Candyce. "Tips for Stress-free Family Holiday Travel." USA Today. Gannett, 25 Nov. 2013.