Derval O'Rourke: How to manage stress this festive season
Derval O'Rourke. Photo: Joleen Cronin
Mindfulness is something that has interested me for a while and I’ve wondered how I can incorporate it into my daily life.
Dr Michelle O’Driscoll is a pharmacist and wellbeing consultant with a PhD in the area of stress management. I first met her a year ago to discuss ways that we could work together. In recent weeks she has been hosting live sessions for members of Derval.ie
The response has been overwhelmingly positive and this week I will share some of her wisdom with you.
I asked Michelle about managing stress this festive season and to give readers of my column tips for coping and feeling well. I hope you find her response helpful
“In 2019, the World Health Organisation classified stress as the health epidemic of the 21st century. COVID has since stolen that title, whilst also further fuelling our stress levels. This month is when the two C’s collide — Christmas a notoriously stressful time for many anyway, and COVID, which has provided unprecedented uncertainty and worry surrounding our health and wellbeing."
Stress occurs when there’s a mismatch between demands placed on us, and our perceived ability to cope with those demands. It’s a physiological response to a psychological problem. The brain alerts the body to times of 'danger' as it sees it, and the body then jumps into action, releasing stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, and putting the body on red alert.
In these coming weeks, it’s very easy to allow yourself to fall into that stress trap. Strategies to manage stress during the festive season and beyond need to account for both the physical and psychological characteristics of stress accordingly.
Physically, the things that help our stress levels can seem boringly obvious — but are we actually doing them? And why do they help so much if implemented correctly?
Exercise is essential because when we’re stressed, our body releases stored energy in preparation to either fight or flee. In situations where neither of these things is warranted, this energy can become unused and pent up, leaving us feeling agitated and on edge. The best way to release it is through physical activity.
During times of excessive or prolonged stress, our energy stores can quickly deplete. Renew these stores by taking in adequate healthy food, a key component in respiration, the chemical reaction that occurs in the body to produce energy. Supplement that fuel with hydration; our bodies are made up of two thirds water and need that to be maintained to function.
Sleep is the perfect way to do this, so supporting good quality sleep through routine is vital. Sleep is the basis for so much of our health and wellbeing, as it also regulates hormones for mood and appetite regulation.
Psychologically, stress can be all-consuming, leaving no space mentally for life to happen around it.
We all have COVID on the brain at the moment, so let’s use that to our advantage, and turn it into a prompt for how to address stress in the leadup to Christmas.
– Check in. We should be checking in with ourselves as often as we check our phones. How are you? Take time to actually notice.
– Observe. Watch how stress can ebb and flow, peak and trough. What helps to ease it? What’s exacerbating it? If we’re not tuned in to how it’s presenting and what’s triggering it, we are much less likely to be able to act appropriately.
– Validate. We cannot be happy all the time. You are allowed to feel a broad spectrum of emotions, including grief, anger, fear, anxiety. Validate your feelings, and remove the layers of stress associated with trying to 'fix' them.
– Investigate. What does the situation warrant? Is the issue something within your control, or outside of it? Save valuable energy by differentiating between the two, and focussing on controlling the controllable.
– Decide. It’s all well and good to follow the above steps, but you must then decide on the appropriate action and see it through. What would best address the stress you’re experiencing, and are you going to give yourself that gift this Christmas?"
Dr. Michelle O’Driscoll is hosting a virtual event called 'The Reset' on Saturday, January 2, 10am-12:30pm via Zoom. This will be an informal, informative morning of mindfulness, reflection and evidence-based strategies for making the most of the coming year. Tickets available on EventBrite or via intuition.ie.
If you don’t feel like doing exercise, force yourself out for a walk. Choose a podcast & tell yourself that you aren’t going to go home until you have listened to the entire thing. It will be interesting to see how much nicer the walk will get as you get into it, you will also feel amazing when you do get home.
Cranberry sauce is a Christmas necessity in my opinion. I wanted to share this a little early to allow you all time to gather the ingredients and make homemade cranberry sauce this year. Why not make an extra jar or two which would make lovely gifts?
• 275g cranberries
• 5 tbsp water
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp port
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
Put the cranberries into a pan with the 5 tbsps. of water. Boil for 10 minutes until the skins start to burst.
Add the sugar, port, and nutmeg, and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil, lower the heat and leave to bubble for 5 – 8 minutes, until thickened.
Leave to chill until required.
Sauce keeps for 4 - 6 days in a fridge.
