Westchase Experts Help you Reduce Stress this Holiday Season

It's that time of year again. Responsibilities are piling on and family and friends are invading your personal space.

Holiday spirit is in there somewhere too. Or so we're told.

During the holiday season, we expect ourselves to give the best gift, cook the best meal and send personalized cards out to everyone we know. By the end of it all, many of us are left mentally, physically and spiritually spent.

Relationships, finances and physical demands are at the top of the list for stress triggers this time of year, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Westchase Clinical Psychologist Jodi De Luca tells her patients to make a list of their top five or ten causes of stress and rank them from worst to least.

"Identifying them is the first key to reducing them because we get so emotionally overwhelmed that thinking is second to feeling," said De Luca, whose office is located at 13039 W. Linebaugh Avenue. "Stop and say I feel overwhelmed and say what is stressing me out and what can I do about it."

When it comes to rising tempers with loved ones, she recommends doing the exact opposite of what you feel.

"Leave the war field," De Luca said. "Engage the thinking part of your brain and if needed take a time out."

Sometimes the best approach is to listen, not speak, said Pastor Neal McCullohs, who heads Church at the Bay.

"When you start to feel the tension, stop and remind yourself verbally that, 'Hey we are on the same team here,'" McCullohs said. "Lead by caring."

Asking about what your significant other is experiencing can aide in helping you understand why they are feeling a certain way.

If the situations arise when children are involved, De Luca urges parents and family to think about what is in the best interest of the child. She advocates that families and couples develop a physical signal to take a timeout when needed.

"Choose a sign that no one else but you and your family or your significant other will know," De Luca said.

And don't feel pressured to break the bank, De Luca said. Make a lists of gifts within a certain budget or even research gifts with the person you are shopping for.

"I give my family lists and we give each other lists and an expenditure amount," De Luca said. "With this economy, people are expecting less because things have changed for all of us."

It's about creating an experience.

"My wife recently picked up pine cones and sprayed them with glue and had the kids roll glitter and go to an old peoples' home," McCullohs said.

Making wise food choices can also help people manage stress, said Dr. Shelly Masters, clinical director at in Westchase.

"During the holidays you are having more sweets for breakfast," Masters said. "If you don't start with protein, your blood sugar begins to crash and you won't be able to handle the stress at all."

Skip the soda and go for a cup of green tea instead. Snack on raw veggies and nuts instead of cookies. With those choices, Masters says you are less likely to binge at holiday parties or dinners and therefore better able to deal with stress. But don't pass up the pumpkin pie, that is one sweet that does some good for the body.

"A slice of pumpkin pie has the benefits of high levels of Vitamin A and Carotenoids," Masters said. "Generally go for more whole foods and less processed foods."

But above all the food choices, timeout signals and shopping lists, remember what the holidays are really about.

"The season is about generosity and spending time with friends and family," McCullohs said. "Expect that there will be problems but always give people grace."