Strategies to Help Patients Handle Holiday Stress

As a practicing OB/GYN, you understand that stress can affect women in a variety of ways. In addition to the emotional and mental tolls, stress can cause women’s bodies to react abnormally if it is not properly managed. You may observe these physical reactions most frequently during the holiday season. In fact, the symptoms of any medical conditions that they are currently experiencing can be exacerbated.

If you are concerned about how your patients may manage their holiday stress, there are some tips you can offer them to help them better cope. These tips may help your patients gain the mental and emotional capacity to get through and hopefully enjoy the holidays.

Maintain Healthy Habits

It can be easy to set aside proper eating habits and temporarily discard your regular workout routines during the season. However, during times of stress is when these practices can benefit you the most. Make an effort to avoid overindulging yourself on food and make sure to get plenty of sleep and physical exercise, which can better help you combat the effects of stress.

Find Alone Time

Setting aside a few minutes just to be by yourself, away from family and with no disturbances, can be enough to refresh your mind. Finding a quiet place to sit and gather your thoughts or going outside for a short, brisk stroll by yourself can help you refocus and examine a stressful situation with a clearer mind.

Reward Yourself

If you like receiving presents, treating yourself with a special gift for accomplishing a certain task is one way to experience a little joy during a time that may be stressful. There is nothing wrong with rewarding yourself!

Ask for Help

No one can do everything all by themselves all of the time. If you feel as if you are being overwhelmed with all of the tasks you feel you have to complete to make the holiday season enjoyable for everyone, don’t be afraid to ask for assistance and the delegate some responsibility. Resist any temptation to feel guilty about asking and remember that it is for your own well-being and you deserve to enjoy the holidays too.

Establish a Budget

During the holidays, it can be easy to be swept up in spending money to please loved ones with extraordinary gifts. This season, eliminate the financial stressor by setting a budget and sticking to it. It may be necessary to set aside the funds in an account or on a debit card separate from your other financial resources to ensure that you only use those funds for your holiday purchases.

At Perinatal Resource Inc., we offer a broad range of resources for obstetricians and gynecologists to stay abreast of the latest issues in women’s health. If you’re looking for continuing education opportunities, please contact us regarding our webinar and audio classes.