WASHINGTON — Health messages this time of year often focus on the negative aspects of the holiday season — overindulging in cookies, overdoing it on the bubbly and overspending on gifts.
But the holidays don’t have to be so unhealthy. Focusing on the “true meaning” of the season can actually improve your emotional and physical well-being.
Numerous studies show that expressing gratitude and helping others can lower stress levels, reduce risks for heart disease and even lower early mortality rates.
“Over time, people who are optimists tend to have better health, tend to deal better with stress, tend to have a variety of different benefits from having their optimistic outlook,” says Dr. Lourdes Griffin, clinical psychologist and assistant vice president for the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
In a recent study, Paul J. Mills at the University of California, San Diego, instructed a group of men and women with prior heart damage to fill out a questionnaire. He found that those who expressed more gratitude in their responses slept better and had less inflammation — two factors that lower risks for further damage.
In a follow-up study, Mills asked participants to write down three things they were grateful for most days of the week. Participants who kept a gratitude journal had an overall decreased risk for heart disease.
“When they began to focus more on how grateful they were for the positive things, they developed a positive outlook, they were less depressed, they slept better and had overall better health,” Griffin says about the study outcome.
The results aren’t a surprise to Griffin. She says all too often the positive things in life are blanketed by the negative, such as a fight with a friend, over-packed schedules and late bills. But honing in on silver linings can have a big impact.
“It can be something as simple as having a nice ride to work where the traffic wasn’t bad, or that it’s a very sunny, nice day. Focusing on those things helps one to keep a positive perspective,” she says.
And a positive perspective can lead to less stress and lower levels of anxiety — two known risk factors in many chronic diseases.
Considering serving a meal at the soup kitchen or handing out coats to the homeless? Helping others is another way to boost your health this holiday season.
A review published in BMC Public Health, and reported in TIME, found that volunteering on a regular basis can reduce mortality rates by 22 percent. Volunteers also benefit from better mood and reduced rates of depression.
According to an article in U.S. News and World Report, giving increases several “happiness chemicals” in the brain, including dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin.
“The more that we focus on being grateful and also helping others, the better we’ll feel, as far as our own physical and emotional health,” Griffin says.
Want to counterbalance the stress of the holidays? Griffin recommends these small changes to turn your outlook, and your health, around:
- Surround yourself with photos of loved ones or set out mementos from a vacation on your desk at work. During a high-stress situation, a quick glance at your children, a friend or a fond memory can help keep things in perspective.
- Bedtime is not the time to make mental to-do lists. Griffin says before your head hits the pillow, think of all the things for which you are grateful. This will lead to better sleep, which can then lead to numerous positive health outcomes.
- Keep a gratitude journal and write down the things you are thankful for in your life, such as family, friends and health. Taking a few minutes each day to reflect on the positives can have a lasting impact.
- Remember the true meaning of the holiday season and give back to those in need.
h/t NPR
