HANDLING EMOTIONAL STRESS Holiday Pressure Solutions
favorite holiday music includes The Carpenters’ “Christmas Portrait” and “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky. Whatever your traditions, secure these pleasure moments amid the bustle. GET A CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT. This will reduce the stress on your nervous system. Stress causes tension to build up in the muscles and joints of your body. This tension causes alterations in the normal structural alignment of your spine. This tension buildup can cause greater irritation and heightened sensitivity of the nervous system. I know you’re busy, but create time for this important step — you’ll be happy you did. I’ll have more suggestions on what you can do to have more energy, attain your ideal weight, and create and maintain a healthy lifestyle so you can chase your dreams, big and small. Enjoy a stress-free holiday season and get ready to launch a healthy, happy new year! –Dr. Paul Braadt
In past newsletters, I’ve discussed how stress takes various forms and can affect us all: the physical stress of pain, environmental stress from dangerous chemicals and toxins, and emotional stress of living. Holiday stress can be part of the emotional stress of living — you have presents to buy, finances to stretch, family challenges to navigate, decorating to do, and other holiday commitments to follow through on because of other traditions you may follow. Regardless of the source of stress, our bodies produce the hormone cortisol, and the reaction in our bodies is the same. It’s like nearly getting hit by a car. Your muscles become tense, your teeth clench, and your blood pressure rises. Here are a few holiday stress solutions , besides flying to the Caribbean for a week. ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS. Do something that you enjoy. Perhaps you can engage in some memorable family tradition or take time to read
your favorite book. There’s a reason for the holidays; find something that gives you personal comfort. MOVE YOUR BODY. Take a walk and look at the environment you’re in instead of just listening to your mind rattle off your to-do list. Lehigh Valley Hospital has mapped an indoor walking trail, or you can check in with a nearby college, gym, or mall. California State University found that a 10-minute walk is enough to increase energy, alter mood, and effect a positive outlook for up to two hours. LAUGH MORE AND LISTEN TO MUSIC. Watch a comedy. Research at Loma Linda University showed that comedy lowers the body’s level of stress, thereby reducing blood pressure and increasing white blood cells and your immunity. We recommend the movie “Elf” with Will Ferrell or “It’s a Wonderful Life” with James Stewart and Donna Reed. It isn’t a comedy, but it leaves me and my family feeling very appreciative of each other. Some of our
How to Spend Less Time Clearing Your Driveway Every Winter Snow Shoveling Hacks
Make your own salt alternative. Sometimes you start shoveling, only to find that the snow concealed a layer of ice that you can’t scoop up with your shovel. However, if you combine 1 teaspoon of dish soap, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1/2 gallon of water in a bucket, you can spread the mixture over the ice and melt it away, much like the salt you see on major roadways. Be preemptive with some tarps. Did you see on the weather forecast that your area is about to get some major snowfall? Throw down some tarps on your walkways and driveway. Then, after the snow stops falling, lift the snow off to the side, and your walkways will be as clear as if it hadn’t snowed at all. Blow the snow away. If you’re lucky enough to be clearing your driveway while the snow is still powdery, rev up
your leaf blower instead of breaking out your shovel. You’ll be able to clear your driveway in a fraction of the time it would take to shovel and dump it off to the sides of your driveway. With one (or a few) of these methods, you can clear your driveway and enjoy the fun side of snowfall in no time!
Everyone loves the snow — at least until it settles on the driveway, a barrier between your car and the open road. Shoveling snow off your driveway and walkway can be so tedious that you might be tempted to just hope and pray that the sun melts it all before you have to shovel it — which, of course, almost never happens. However, there are a few tools and methods you can use to clear the snow away that are faster than shoveling for hours on end. Check them out below. Create a nonstick shovel. Wet, partially melted snow might work well for packing snowballs, but it’s a pain to shovel. It has a tendency to stick to the scoop and not let go — unless you spray it with some common household cooking spray. This will make it a lot easier for the snow to slide off your shovel. Just remember to wipe your shovel down afterward!
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