While school holidays are an exciting time for children, it can be a time of stress and anxiety for parents – organising time off work, childcare, holiday clubs, a family holiday, or a visit with extended family.
Chiropractic care can help your body deal with stress better.
While it can’t take away the stress triggers for you, it can help to lower your body’s response to these triggers.
Stress symptoms can appear in the form of:
- Anxiety
- Headaches
- Body aches
- Sadness
- Inability to sleep
- Irritability
- Poor diet
MAKE the time to relax and enjoy yourself during the holidays so that you can navigate the stress more effectively.
See our article on Simple, Effective Stress Management or Stress – Dance Through the Chaos of Life for other ways to reduce and manage your stress.
The mid-year holiday season in the southern hemisphere often goes hand-in-hand with colds and flu.
Remaining indoors for long periods of time weakens the immune system, and Vitamin D levels decrease, impacting people’s health. In Cape Town, winter is known as the secret season where we have sunny days mixed in with the wet and windy ones. Getting out into the sunshine during those days will help to boost Vitamin D levels. The most effective way to absorb Vitamin D is from sensible exposure to the sun. Exposing as much of your torso as possible (don’t pack those cozzies away yet) and through your eyes is the best route to maximum absorption. Try to go without sunglasses whenever possible.
Chiropractic balances the nervous system and promotes lymph drainage. It also helps to strengthen the lungs and other organs. When the body can eliminate and excrete toxins faster, the body is able to fight off infections and illnesses that occur more often in the winter months. If there is a time to make Chiropractic care a regular habit, it is the cool season!
See our previous article Flu Is Not A Season for more tips.
Stay-cations
Some people choose the school holidays to stay home, connect with family, explore their home city and get some things done that have been on ‘the list’ for a while now but haven’t got around to yet – DIY, gardening, sightseeing, healthcare appointments…
During the holidays, there are no extra murals, sports tournaments, or competitions to work into the schedule, which frees up some time to have your child/ren checked by a Chiropractor.
Chiropractic care is safe, gentle and effective for children from birth and beyond.
Read more about Chiropractic care for children here.
Contact our team if you would like to take advantage of the holidays and have your child/ren checked by one of our Chiropractors.
Taking a break from screens
Most of us have at least one screen that we spend a lot of our day fixed to. The holidays are a good time to take a break from screens. Whether that is your phone, laptop, tablet, computer, TV or other device, you can benefit greatly from taking some time away from them.
First, it helps to define what your intention. Do you want a:
- Social Media Holiday – take a break from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram etc.
- Screen Holiday – no screens at all.
From there you can break it down into manageable options:
- You can opt for a ‘screen sabbath’ – making one day of the holiday (or every week) a screen free day. My husband Greg chooses one day of the weekend not to look at his phone until after our children are in bed.
- Allocate a specific time in the day that you use your screens. For example, if you still need to be connected with family or for business. I try to limit myself to only checking social media and emails for 30 mins in the morning and again in the evening when we are on holiday.
Whatever you choose to do, make sure that it is manageable for you. It is OK for it to not feel comfortable, just make sure you won’t end up getting fired or divorced for it!
Check out this article for more info and tips on safe screen use.
MOST IMPORTANT
The most important thing to remember during the holidays is to have fun!
Enjoy this article? You might also like the following articles:
