{"id":276820,"date":"2025-11-22T07:07:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T07:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/276820\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T07:07:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T07:07:30","slug":"safeguarding-holiday-harmony-in-a-time-of-anxiety-and-division-novant-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/276820\/","title":{"rendered":"Safeguarding holiday harmony in a time of anxiety and division | Novant Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daily Living<\/a><\/p>\n

7 science-backed ways to maintain calm when everything is not calm<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Page Leggett<\/p>\n

Contributing Writer<\/p>\n


\n\tWe don\u2019t agree on much these days, but can we all agree that 2025 hasn\u2019t been the smoothest year for many Americans? There\u2019s no mistaking that our civil discourse is no longer all that civil. The country feels more divided than it has at any other time in recent history. <\/p>\n


\n\tWith the (inherently stressful) holidays quickly approaching, you may be worried about what this national divide will look like on a micro level \u2014 at your own holiday dinner table. \n<\/p>\n

1. Be grateful.<\/p>\n

A research study<\/a> of 300 adults explored how gratitude affects well-being. All participants received psychotherapy, but one group was assigned to write a weekly note of thanks to someone, while another group wrote about negative experiences. The \u201cgratitude\u201d group reported significantly better mental health at four- and 12-week check-ins. The takeaway: Practicing thankfulness can improve your outlook and positively impact mental health. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tSo, before gathering with people you disagree with politically with \u2014 or share some unpleasant history with \u2014 make a list of qualities you admire about them and reasons you\u2019re grateful they\u2019re in your life. It may be just the reminder you need. \n<\/p>\n

2. Be mindful. Fisher thinks of mindfulness<\/a> as \u201cpaying attention, on purpose, to the present moment without judging it.\u201d Being on \u201cautopilot\u201d \u2014 the default state for many of us \u2014 keeps us from fully engaging with life and the people we love, which leads to a feeling of dissatisfaction. <\/p>\n


\n\tYou don\u2019t need to go into a darkened room and light candles to practice mindfulness. You can do it anywhere. Even walking down a hallway. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tFisher does it when walking from one exam room to another. \u201cI notice my body \u2014 am I upright, or am I slouching? I don\u2019t look at my phone. I reset myself. It brings me a sense of calm and kindness,\u201d he said. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tFisher, who lived with anxiety for much of his adult life, said, \u201cThe world became a less threatening place as I got more into mindfulness.\u201d \n<\/p>\n

3. Accept what is. <\/p>\n

An ability to distinguish between what we can and can\u2019t control is a key factor in our happiness. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tYou are unlikely to change your aunts\u2019 and uncles\u2019 minds on hot-button issues, other family members\u2019 behavior or any other heavy topic. And a Christmas gathering isn\u2019t the right time to attempt those conversions, anyway. Accepting your family members for who they are is the first step toward being at peace with them. And yourself. And if they try to tackle a subject you know won\u2019t go well, find a way to change the topic with a bit of humor. \n<\/p>\n

4. Practice loving kindness. <\/p>\n

It increases our levels of serotonin (the happiness hormone) and decreases cortisol and adrenaline (the stress hormones). There\u2019s an actual process you can do for as little as a minute and up to 5 minutes. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

Sit comfortably, close your eyes and think of someone who loves and accepts you unconditionally.Imagine looking into that person\u2019s eyes and feeling accepted and loved. You\u2019ll probably notice your breathing start to slow.Now, silently offer that person a good wish. For example: \u201cMay you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with peace and ease.\u201dRepeat that mantra for other people you love. Then move on to groups of loved ones and then to people you don\u2019t even know. Feel your connection to all humankind. Fisher sends good wishes to complete strangers across the hospital or on the highway. 5. Have a laugh. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s good medicine. \u201cA few studies have shown that 30 minutes of laughing once a week for about a month can improve your overall well-being,\u201d Fisher said. And that\u2019s \u201ceven if you\u2019re not experiencing regular joy and happiness.\u201d Laughter releases serotonin and dopamine (the excitement hormone) into your bloodstream and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which has a calming effect. \n<\/p>\n

6. Engage. <\/p>\n

Human connection is essential to happiness and well-being. \u201cThe least stressed people are those with loving, caring, lasting relationships,\u201d Fisher said. \u201cSocial connection is one of the strongest predictors of cardiovascular resilience. People with supportive relationships have better recovery and lower risk after a heart attack than those who feel isolated.\u201d His clinic team encourages social connection as a vital part of a comprehensive heart-health plan. \n<\/p>\n


\n\tIn stressful times, especially, don\u2019t hibernate. Be around people. \n<\/p>\n

7. Be kind to everyone, including yourself. <\/p>\n

Fisher has said that when we\u2019re gentle with ourselves, \u201cthere\u2019s this amazing spillover effect that everyone else around you can feel.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Daily Living 7 science-backed ways to maintain calm when everything is not calm Page Leggett Contributing Writer …\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":276821,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[3274,113285,47932,102,113284,1906,6623,23399,6644,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-276820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-anxiety","9":"tag-char-r","10":"tag-charlotte","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-holiday-season","13":"tag-mental-health","14":"tag-mentalhealth","15":"tag-mindfulness","16":"tag-stress","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom","19":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}