If you’re struggling with holiday anxiety, yule have to try this trauma therapist’s tree tip.
More than a quarter of Americans (28%) confess to experiencing more stress than they did at this time last year, thanks to the higher cost of gift-giving, grief over the loss of a loved one and complex family dynamics following the contentious election.
Maddie Spear, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist who specializes in trauma, PTSD, anxiety and coping skills, says she has just the trick to relieve stress and anxiety.
First, draw a Christmas tree featuring a down arrow followed by an up arrow, then a down arrow and another up arrow.
“You can draw the tree however you want,” Spear told her 327,200 TikTok followers in a resurfaced video, “but make sure to get those four arrows in there.”
Spear directed her audience to use their finger to trace along the arrows, going down with the down arrows and up with the up arrows.
“After you’ve done that a couple of different times, I want us to take your breath and your finger and pair them together,” said Spear, who is based in North Carolina.
“We’re going to breathe out on the down arrows, through the mouth, and in on the up arrows through the nose,” Spear continued.
Repeat as needed. Spear said this exercise helps slow your heart rate and promotes a sense of calm.
Taking slow, deep breaths into your abdomen activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps manage stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and improve sleep quality.
If you’re not much of an artist, there are other ways you can ease holiday stress.
Dr. Michelle Loy, an integrative medicine physician at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, shared with The Post six simple suggestions for achieving a healthier mindset over the holidays.
