How to Avoid Back Pain During the Holidays

The holiday season is coming and there's no doubt that we'll be busy during those times. We will be preoccupied with travel time, family gatherings, and gift shopping, on top of our usual daily activities. It's no wonder why anyone can be easily stressed out especially with the responsibilities here and there.

Having stress can cause some pain on any part of the body especially the back. Stress can also make a person become tense and having tensed muscles can inflict pain. This is a vicious cycle that can be no good especially with the busy times brought upon by the holidays.

So, by taking actions on eliminating stress, you can avoid pain in the process. This is something that anyone would like to consider especially if they don't want to slow down during the holiday preparation.

1. Plan ahead - There are always tasks and responsibilities that often comes up during the last minute. This is the reason why time management is important when you want to deal with stress. Even before the holidays start, you should list everything that needs to be done and plan out a schedule for each one. Avoid overpacking your schedule and don't expect your plan to play out smoothly, so it's important to leave some extra time on each task just in case it will take longer than expected. But if it does get accomplished on time or ahead of schedule, don't move on to the next just yet and just do some relaxation time for yourself. This can help reduce adverse effects of something like chronic fatigue, which is something that can cause joint and muscle pain in every part of your body, including the back.
2. Get an early start - If you've got lots of things to do on your list, just start as early as you can to get things moving. Waiting on the last minute will make you anxious and rushed, which can lead to back pain, panic attacks, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system, among many other conditions. If you have plans on giving out gifts to certain people, you can buy these items ahead of time and just add something later if you want to. This will make things less overwhelming since you've started early, instead of waiting on the last few days to do it.
3. Break it down - Taking more than you can handle won't be good for your back or your stress levels. If you want, you can take on larger tasks and break them into smaller, manageable tasks. There's no need to finish one large task in just a single day. For example, when buying gifts, don't buy all of them altogether but just squeeze this task in whenever you're doing your normal shopping trips. This makes it easier to accomplish and you won't be so stressed out about any other big tasks you're about to handle. So, it's best to prioritize the small tasks according to importance, and once done, just move on to the less-important ones.
4. Find time to rest - When you managed to finish a task ahead of schedule, take this opportunity to find some time to take a rest. There are times when you'll be doing some errands for other people, so it's best if you can squeeze some "me time" for yourself. Try and do things that are relaxing or can make you feel at ease. If you lack some sleep, you should find the time to make up for it since being sleepless can make your stress and your back pain worse. Your body requires rest to repair itself and if you're not getting enough of it, you're doing a disservice to yourself.
5. Eat well and stay hydrated - If you've been so busy with a lot of things, you can sometimes forget to do some of the simple stuff such as drinking water and eating healthy meals. Many people would turn to "convenience" foods, which mostly consists of poor nutrition and being over-processed. With such busy times, it is recommended that you eat regularly and healthy to make up for all that work. It can help prevent weight gain in the process, which is something that can contribute to a worse kind of back pain. Also, make sure to always remain hydrated because dehydration can affect your back structures, resulting in soreness and stiffness.

With the holidays coming up, it's always a good idea to follow these tips and prevent back pain from settling. If you want, you can have any of your back problems checked with Vacaville Chiropractor Dr. Alex Tam ahead of time and prevent it from happening during the holiday season. You can trust him for this kind of problem since he's known for having the top chiropractic and holistic clinic in the Solano county. This will ensure that no back pains will be bothering you during the busiest time of the year.