Holiday Stress: The 4 Ways We Feel Depleted

If Flatline were a pro-wrestling term, it would be what happens when the stressors of life throw us against the ropes, ‘clothesline’ us and drop us to the ground as we bottom out in our physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual energy. As mentioned in last week’s post, How to Rebound from Holiday Flatline, I use the term ‘Flatline’ to describe the state of utter depletion. This week’s post offers two parts. Part One describes the 4 Ways We Feel Depleted, particularly during the holidays. Part Two offers a 7-Step Prevention Guide to prevent holiday depletion.

Emotional Flatline:
Emotional Flatline occurs when we feel overrun by the stressors in our lives. It compromises the parasympathetic nervous system which aids the body to rest amongst our constant regulation of ‘fight or flight’ responses. We become more irritable, frustrated and anxious.  We’re more reactive to our stressors, meaning that situations which normally wouldn’t get under our skin, suddenly trigger us and we act without rationally thinking of more appropriate ways to respond. This is called being more reactive than responsive. In Emotional Flatline there’s more opportunity for depression if we don’t find outlets for emotional release. As these emotional states take hold, our healthier habits fall prey to the unhealthy. Our sleep becomes fitful, we eat comfort foods full of fat and sugar and we begin to crave depressants and stimulants to decompress our nervous system or boost our moods.