December 19, 2005


It’s the Most Stressful Time of the Year

PAMF and Sutter Health Offer Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Season

Balancing work and family is difficult enough on a normal day, but the stress of juggling holiday responsibilities can push anyone to the breaking point. Fortunately, there are some easy things you can do to stay healthy this holiday season.

  • Eat a balanced and healthy diet. “Choosing to eat healthy foods most of the time, especially for breakfast and lunch, will provide the energy your body needs to keep up with your busy holiday schedule,” said Scott Granet, a licensed clinical social worker in the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s (PAMF) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.

    Keeping a healthy diet during this time of year can be a tremendous challenge for many people. While eating only healthy foods throughout the holiday season may be impossible, choosing to eat healthy foods most of the time will help provide you with the energy your body needs.

  • Exercise. It’s not only a great way to keep the holiday bulge at bay, exercise also increases feelings of contentment and happiness. Physical activity also helps reduce anxiety and can improve sleep. A brisk walk in the evening is a simple way to fit exercise into your schedule.

  • Get plenty of sleep. Our bodies need more rest during stressful times. Keeping a reasonable bedtime during the holidays will give you more energy and make things more enjoyable. Don’t take time away from sleep to catch up on shopping and other holiday activities. This is “false economizing” that will merely leave you more tired and prone to illness, so that you actually end up accomplishing less.

  • Delegate tasks. “Women especially feel like they have to do it all during the holidays,” said Granet. “It’s an unrealistic expectation. Setting limits on your own involvement is an important way to keep your stress level under control.”

    Granet suggests having your children and spouse help out with the duties.

  • Set priorities. “Your schedule is likely to be busier than usual during the holidays, but you don’t have to attend every party or cook a six-course meal for all 35 of your relatives,” said Bob Martinet, a licensed clinical social worker in PAMF’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. “Remind yourself what is important to you and your family. Do those activities and politely decline the rest.”

  • Set boundaries. Sometimes relatives cause the greatest amount of stress during the holidays. If certain relatives are the source of your stress, plan ahead for how you might handle being with them. It may be necessary to limit the time spent with these people, or perhaps even to not see them at all.


“Taking care of yourself psychologically and emotionally is an important part of coping with holiday stress, even if it means having to miss some family or social gatherings,” said Martinet.

While there is no way to eliminate stress completely during the holidays, nor is it necessary to do so, it is possible to have fun by planning ahead, staying healthy and balancing your responsibilities with the joyful parts of the holiday season.

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in both multispecialty group practice of medicine and outpatient medicine. The foundation has three health care divisions: the Palo Alto Division, the Camino Division and the Santa Cruz Division. The Palo Alto Division, staffed by 290 physicians of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, has provided a full range of care for Peninsula residents since it was founded in 1930. It operates clinics in Fremont, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City and Redwood Shores. For more information, visit www.pamf.org.

PAMF is part of the Sutter Health family of not-for-profit physician organizations and hospitals that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a recognized, regional leader in cardiac care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, obstetrics, and newborn intensive care, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. The Sutter Health network, which employs more than 40,000 professionals, provides some of the state’s most aggressive and comprehensive employee benefits, including a fully funded pension fund, other savings and retirement plans, and educational scholarships and tuition reimbursement programs. For more information, visit www.sutterhealth.org.