Christmas Stress

HO-HO, OH NO…ON THE SECOND WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Christmas Stress

WRAPPED UP IN KNOTS

All right…so you THINK you got most of what you were looking for, including a fortune in wrapping regalia that has to envy the gifts they enrobe. Great. But now you have to wrap everything, scissors and bows, scraps of unused paper and globs of stuck scotch tape forming a gooey, towering mountain of mess around you.  Oh, and labels…can’t forget labels. There’s another nightmare that can give you a boxful of insomnia and anxiety. 

HAIL THE KIDS

Christmas is really for kids; a lot of people think. You think, “yeah?”, and in another form of guilt, you have to plan on making their holiday the most memorable ever. These days, they text photos of all the gifts they want (no, make that “expect”.) Many of which are devices and games and anything tech. (Read “expensive.)  Their manic sides take over and they are in your ear endlessly, day and night. And cookies. Christmas cookies. There’s a tradition that could drown you in icing and powdered sugar and piles of sprinkles. Sometimes, the kids actually like to be part of it, licking spoons and downing raw dough. But suddenly, as quickly as the cookies disappear, so do they. Still, why is it you are downed with a bad case of BMS– Bad Mother Syndrome?

TREE AND TINSEL TERROR

Then there’s the magical moment of “the tree”. Some have faux (used to be called “fake”) ones, disassembled somewhere, that with gads of distress, dads are forced to put together. Other families trek out for the real thing—lush green, fragrant smelling firs. Here, dad gets his own grief trying to convince his whining, clawing kids why a 20-foot behemoth balsam won’t even get through their door. Once the tree is (supposedly) upright in its stand, the ritual of decorating begins. Christmas lights, (what seems like miles to untangle), old ornaments and new, strands of strung popcorn and tons of glittery tinsel that sticks to everything. And, of course, there’s the tree topper. The lights are lit and a huge “aaaahhh” fills the room making it all worth it.

But in a flash, “aaaaahhh” turns to “oooooo” and “nooooooo”. Dad falls off the ladder…it’s off to the Emergency Room. The tree isn’t settled tightly enough and topples. (Happens more than you think). Then the pets pounce, rolling in the tinsel and ingesting everything they shouldn’t. Which can be deadly if not caught in time. It’s off to the vet Emergency Room. And the bit about “making the season bright” can be a huge hazard when trees are too dry, candles abound and electrical glitches can start fires! How are we doing on the “joy” part so far?

PARTY POOP OUT

The invitations to stop over for eggnog and goodies roll in from everywhere. Family, friends, neighbors, parents of your kids’ school friends…So you slide into your “faking it” smile that belies your body’s aches and pains, and socialize until you’re ready to drop. And if you work, watch out for office holiday parties. Oh, what dangers lurk there. Minefields of mess. Alcoholic excess is magic juice for sometimes making fools of yourselves. Tongues loosen, barriers break down, truths, complaints and grudges are open ground. Going with a significant other might help, but it’s never a guarantee. And the next morning? A remorseful, guilt-filled hangover with a side of upset stomach. What’s to celebrate there?

HARK THE HERALD HEALTH

Feeling heavier and nuttier than a fruitcake about now? Sure, Christmas craziness can make you feel that way, but if your hormones are imbalanced, that could be the real problem. Hormones move all through the body, chemical messengers that impact the way your cells and organs function. They can impair your immune and digestive system, accelerating damage at the cellular lever, even telling cells to die. One way to calm the chaos going on inside your body is to make an appointment to see Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein, MD, FACS at Denver hormone health. At the forefront of hormone replacement therapy, he has expertise and experience hard to match. But what’s more important is that his one goal is to make you feel your absolute best. All over.  When you meet him, you’ll see how much he cares. After an in-depth consultation, and simple tests, he can tell exactly what hormones might be making you feel so messed up. Then he creates a uniquely tailored plan for you, that unlike some gifts you get, fit perfectly!

Make the call now.

Give a little more tenderness and goodwill to yourself.