According to a survey by mental health charity Mind, one in five people get stressed over the Christmas period and suffer ill health and relationship strain as a result. It’s not surprising, then, that there appears to be a significant rise in the demand for chiropractic care in the New Year. Back and neck problems can arise from sitting for hours watching films, playing computer games, tensing your body from stress, re-arranging furniture and carrying a 6kg turkey in and out of the oven!
So how do we reduce the stress over Christmas?
Here are a few top tips to help make your Christmas stress and pain free this year:
Keep it simple.
To avoid stress, ensure that your expectations of Christmas are realistic. Remember that the ‘perfect family Christmas’ displayed in adverts and on the television are just marketing tools and are not reflective of the average family!
Revisit Christmas Past.
Instead of sitting in front of a television or computer screen all holidays, encourage the whole family to take Christmas walks. This will relieve pressure on the spine and give everyone space which may help to reduce stress.
When it comes to shopping…
- Balance the weight of shopping bags evenly in each hand or use a shopping trolley.
- Have breaks regularly and keep hydrated.
- Use mail order or home delivery services where possible.
- Wear sensible, flat, supportive shoes.
- Do several small trips rather than one large over-loaded trip.
Eat and drink sensibly.
If drinking alcohol, try drinking soft drinks in-between to keep hydrated. Just because there might be a lot of food, chocolate and treats about, it does not mean that you have to consume them all immediately. Pace yourself; save treats for treats! Share your goodies with others: “‘Tis the season to be giving”, and don’t forget to drink plenty of water.
Keep active.
Sitting glued to the television for prolonged periods may cause your spine to go into spasm. Move around and stretch regularly. Ensure your chair has good spinal support and that you are not slouching.
Gaming and Electronic Gadgets.
Take regular breaks, stretch and move around. Your eyes will probably need a rest as well as the rest of your body.
Keep these in mind and hopefully your Christmas won’t be spent looking for an “out of hours chiropractor”!
The Back Care Clinic Team would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a pain-free New Year !
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