Welcome! That’s what we all love to say to our family and friends as they enter our doors this holiday season. We also love to hear it when we reach our destination and finally get together after who knows how long. I haven’t seen my brother and his wife since last December, so I know it will be totally cool to catch up on where we’ve been all of 2009. But we have a heritage of heart disease in the family, and this could be a cloud over the festivities unless we de-stress, and stay smart as the years rush by. I know I don’t want 2010- or any year- to bring sudden bad news, when simply paying attention to a few good habits could tip the scales the healthy way.
Mary Benton says her Emergency Department Prepares to See Higher Number of Heart Attacks on Christmas, New Year’s
In a national study published in Circulation, researchers at the University of California at San Diego and Tufts University School of Medicine found that there are 5 percent more heart-related deaths during the holiday season. The biggest days of the year for heart attacks are Christmas Day, Dec. 26 and New Year’s Day.
Doc Childre and Deborah Rozman Ph.D. blogged last week that reduced budgets can mean stressing more this year over how much to spend on gifts and what to get. I’ll implement this tool as they suggested in the post:
Tool: Notice and Ease
Step 1: Notice and admit what you’re feeling.
Step 2: Try and name the feeling.
Step 3: Tell yourself to e-a-s-e- as you gently focus your attention in the area of the heart, relax as you breathe, and e-a-s-e- the stress out.