BETH CAMPAGNA, OWNER of Yoga Life and Wellness, poses at her Hockinson yoga studio. Campagna says there are many things people can incorporate into their holiday routines to help fight off feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. Campagna is available to meet one on one with students, or in small groups of up to four people, after the start of the new year. For more information on her Hockinson yoga and wellness studio, visit www.yogalifeandwellness.com.
Feeling stressed around the holidays? You’re not alone.
Studies conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) show that nearly half of all Americans – particularly women and people in the lower-middle income bracket with household incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 – report increased feelings of stress, anxiety, depression and worry during the winter holidays.
“Though there are not attitudinal differences between men and women in their sense of obligation towards family, there are strong behavioral differences between men and women,” states a 2014 APA study on holiday stress. “Women are much more likely to shoulder the work burden during family celebrations.”
And, according to a 2006 APA study, lower-middle income Americans are far more stressed around the holidays than people in lower and higher income brackets.
Says the APA in that study: “Half (53 percent) of people in this [lower-middle] income range feel their stress increases during the holidays, versus 31 percent of people with lower incomes and 40 percent of people who have household incomes over $50,000. These individuals struggle to purchase and to afford material goods during the holiday season – putting together a memorable holiday for the family, paying for travel, giving the kids the presents they want, and in the process building up credit card debt. Lower middle income people are more likely than others to report concern with money and being able to afford the holidays.”
The APA study points out that stress levels increase at home and at work during the holidays: “During the holidays, sources of work stress change. People worry about whether work obligations will creep into their holiday celebrations; a third (34 percent) cite this as a very significant or somewhat significant impact on their stress during the holidays. Similarly, a third (31 percent) feel stress from not being able to get enough time off at work to enjoy the holidays.”
Despite our shared stress levels, however, most Americans report doing very little alleviate this stress during the holidays. In fact, according to the APA, “the vast majority of individuals (81 percent) say they do nothing different to manage their stress during the holidays.”
Beth Campagna, a Hockinson-based yoga instructor, isn’t surprised that stress levels are so high during the holidays. A former legal attorney who once described herself as “a hyper person,” Campagna knows all too well what it feels like to be stressed and harried during the holidays.
“There’s a lot of excitement around the holidays, but there is also stress and depression,” Campagna says. “And some people may be dealing with a death in the family or they’re missing people in their lives, so the holidays can be hard for them.”
Instead of trying to conquer huge changes during an already hectic time of year, Campagna urges her clients to aim for simple stress-relievers during the holidays. Here are a few of her recommendations:
• Keep your routine going: Campagna tells her students to keep their routines going throughout the holiday season to keep some semblance of normalcy in their lives and to prevent feelings of rushing through your days and nights. “If you have a morning routine or an evening routine, stick to that,” she says. “People need that routine to be able to plan ahead and to be able to do things mindfully.”
• Just breathe: When people feel stressed, they tend to take quick, short breaths, which in turn send even more stress signals to their nervous system, making them feel even more anxious and perpetuating the stress cycle. Instead, Campagna says, stop yourself throughout the day and take a few deep, cleansing breaths. Do this a few times throughout the day to center your mind and calm your nervous system. “Breath is key,” Campagna says. “When you’re in your kitchen and everything is hustle and bustle, just take a moment and soften your belly and take a slow, deep, rhythmic breaths. If we can slow the breath, we can slow the nervous system.”
• Move it, move it: “Make sure you keep moving,” Campagna says. “Even if it’s just a walk after dinner. That movement will help your digestion and it will help with the stress.”
• Get away from everyone and everything: The holidays are a wonderful time for reconnecting with family and friends, but the constant interaction with other people can be overwhelming and, ultimately, stressful. Campagna says she tries to take a few minutes to get away from it all and just be by herself. Maybe that means going into your bedroom, if you’re at home with visitors, and sitting in a chair for 10 minutes to close your eyes and breath deep. Or, if you’re traveling and visiting others, Campagna tells students to go into the bathroom for a short time to escape the constant talking and eating and merrymaking for a few minutes of much-needed “alone time.”
• Use your senses: Listening to uplifting music and smelling calming scents like lavender can do wonders for relieving stress and helping your body feel more relaxed, says Campagna. “I put cream with lavender on my neck, so I’m getting that little bit of aromatherapy throughout the day,” she says. Another great way to relieve stress, if you can afford it, is to schedule a massage during the holidays or during the first weeks of January, to help your body get rid of the toxins, tight muscles and tension. Campagna suggests making an appointment with Hockinson massage therapist Melody Vorce of Hockinson Wellness Massage. For more information on this local massage therapy studio, visit www.hockinsonwellnessmassage.com.
• Be mindful when eating: In the APA study on holiday stress, many respondents reported dealing with their anxiety and depression with “emotional eating.” Campagna says she reminds herself that filling up on high-calorie holiday desserts isn’t going to help her stress and tries to be mindful of her body’s needs – is she hungry or just feeling stressed? “If we can take a step back and be mindful when we’re eating, if we can eat slowly, it will help us not feel that indigestion and it will help with stress eating,” Campagna says.
• Go with the flow: Many people will be traveling throughout the holidays – including Campagna, who is visiting relatives in Ohio – and the stress of being in the car, or stuck at an airport or navigating an unknown city just adds to the already stressful time of year. Instead of concentrating on the frustration, Campagna says, try to remind yourself that, while you cannot control the weather or the delayed plane or the road conditions, you can control your reaction to these situations. “When you’re traveling, you have to just go with the flow,” Campagna says.
Carey Harrington, a yoga teacher in Woodland, agrees with Campagna’s tips for beating stress this holiday season.
“I would tell people to sit quietly, to just sit and be still and take a few big breaths,” Harrington says. “How often do we give ourselves permission to just sit and breath? To not worry about the laundry or checking our phones? I start my yoga classes this way, just sitting and breathing and sighing out through the mouth and drawing our attention inward. It’s amazing to see all the stress just melt away.”
Harrington says she also advises her students to remember the simple things during the holidays: “Slow down and be still and don’t be worried that your house isn’t clean enough or that you haven’t done enough. It’s easy to lose sight of these things and get caught up in what you think people expect, but, really, what matters is how you treat people, not how clean your house is.”
Remembering these holiday tips will, hopefully, help you have a more enjoyable holiday season with your family and friends. But, if you still feel like you need a little extra something, Harrington has yoga classes going on throughout the holiday season and Campagna can teach individual one-on-one classes or small group (up to four people) classes after the New Year.
Find your holiday zen
Following are a list of local yoga, meditation and breathing classes to help you find some extra zen this season
Yoga Life and Wellness
Address: 15814 N.E. 182nd Ave., Brush Prairie
Phone: (360) 608-6980
Web: www.yogalifeandwellness.com
Hours: Owner Beth Campagna is available for private and semi-private yoga lessons, wellness consultations and Ayurveda consultations by appointment.
Epic Yoga
Address: 1933 Belmont Loop, Suite A
Phone: (360) 312-7101
Web: www.epicyoganw.com
Hours: Owner Carey Harrington offers a full range of yoga classes, including gentle flow and restorative yin yoga, throughout the week. Class descriptions, schedules and pricing information is available online. On Wed., Dec. 23, Harrington will offer a yin class at 4:45 p.m. and at 6:15 p.m. There is a deep stretching yin yoga class scheduled for 9:15 a.m. on the morning of Christmas Eve (Thurs., Dec. 24) as well, to help you beat stress before the family arrives. Harrington also offers community donation-only yoga classes at 9:15 a.m. every first and third Saturday of the month.
Yoga Garden
Address: 208 Pioneer St., Suite B, in Ridgefield & 510 E. Main St., Suite 101, in Battle Ground
Phone: (360) 607-3315
Hours: This yoga studio has classes around the Christmas holiday in its Battle Ground and Ridgefield locations. On Wed., Dec. 23, there is a gentle flow class from 9 to 10:15 a.m. in Battle Ground, a breath-centered class from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. in Battle Ground and a flow yoga class from 6 to 7 p.m. in Ridgefield. On Thurs., Dec. 24, there is a “Sun & Moon” class from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in Battle Ground and a gentle flow class from 9 to 10:15 a.m. in both locations. The studio also has classes planned for Sat. and Sun., Dec. 26 and 27. For more information, or to view the studio’s online “guided meditations” visit http://yogagardennw.com.
