Turkeys, trees and festivities 🎄
It’s mid-December and the festivities are in full swing! I have 2 Christmas parties tonight, and another engagement, so I’m not quite sure how I’m going to fit them all in!
I bought a Christmas tree this year for the first time in a long time. I don’t usually buy one as I’m often away for the festive period. However, it has been a tough year for all of us in one way or another, so I decided to look for opportunities for joy this year and to welcome in some cheer.
I have thoroughly enjoyed choosing and decorating my little Nordmann Fir. I love seeing it all lit up and smelling the pine fragrance that emanates from the resin. Decorating the tree brought a welcome change from the usual things I do in an evening and was a truly mindful experience that didn’t involve technology and its associated blue light that interrupts our circadian rhythm.
Joy
Every morning when I come downstairs and see it all lit up, and smell the gorgeous aroma, it creates in me a sense of calm and joy. Trees give off phytoncides, which are volatile organic compounds that have antimicrobial and antibacterial effects in the plant to protect it. These terpene essential oils, such as α-pinene and limonene, have been shown in humans to reduce stress and promote immunocyte growth, including natural killer cells, which are important in immunity and effective at fighting disease like cancer [1]. The colour green is also known to instil a sense of calm and reduces heart rate [2]. This is why the Japanese advocate ‘forest bathing’, which involves spending time amongst trees and woodland [3].
In addition to the immune-boosting effects of Christmas trees, pleasant smells also have positive effects on our psychology and can stimulate the release of neurotransmitters that support our mental wellbeing. Smells can also trigger memories. The smell of Christmas trees certainly evokes happy childhood memories in me.
Connection
At Christmas, we often make time to connect with our loved ones, either in person or by the sending of greetings cards, letters or emails. I encourage you to take this opportunity to connect, particularly in person, and especially since it wasn’t long ago that we were denied this opportunity.
Connection releases the hormone oxytocin, a misunderstood and underrated human hormone required for optimal human health. It is particularly significant in our mental health.
For those that are lonely, I can thoroughly recommend a charity called the Marmalade Trust, which is dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness and helping people make new friendships. They especially love to spread Christmas cheer and you can get involved, either as a volunteer or as a participant, in their Christmas festivities.
Parties
Christmas parties are a wonderful opportunity for us to meet with people, let our hair down and enjoy delicious food. Again, these parties can release positive neurotransmitters like serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine. Happily, those silly Christmas jumpers can hide a multitude of Christmas party sins!
Food
Talking of sins, we like to feast at Christmas time and this can involve foods we wouldn’t normally eat every day. Although not ‘sinful’, turkey is a traditional meat served as part of a Christmas meal and is erroneously thought to be helpful to get us to sleep. This is because it contains the amino acid tryptophan, which is the precursor to melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin is the neurotransmitter that helps us sleep and serotonin is involved in a positive mood. However, tryptophan competes with other amino acids for uptake into the brain [4], so it is best to supplement with l-tryptophan to benefit from its sleep-enhancing and mood-boosting effects.
As you may have gathered, we often become sleepy after a Christmas meal. A carbohydrate rich meal is known to enhance sleep by spiking insulin and inhibiting the competitive effect of other amino acids [4]. However, I do not advocate eating large amounts of carbohydrates regularly as most modern-day chronic disease derives from heightened insulin levels in the blood, including Alzheimer's, which is known as Type 3 diabetes.
After a feast comes a fast. Fasting, as we discussed here, especially of the intermittent type, is excellent for our overall health and also our mental health. Fasting can help to reverse the effects of over-indulgence by increasing fat-burning.
Singing
Another tradition we have at Christmas time is to sing carols. As we discussed previously, singing stimulates the vagus nerve, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system and puts us into a rest and digest state, calming us.
Lights
I went to my local town Christmas light switch-on recently. The lights look beautiful and are a pleasure to come home to on the longer, dark nights. Due to the shorter days, I often find I’m having to take a walk after dark to get some exercise. It gives me great cheer to see the colourful, twinkling lights brighten the dark, often wet and windy nights. I also love to see how other people have decorated their homes. Again, it breaks the monotony of the year.
Ideally, as we have fewer daylight hours, we need to make the most of the sunlight. This is especially true for our vitamin D levels, which increases our serotonin production. So, it would be beneficial to go for a walk at lunchtime if you can. I also highly recommend supplementing with vitamin D if you live in the northern hemisphere as it is not possible to get enough sunlight to make sufficient amounts at this time of year.
Gifts
For some people, giving and receiving gifts can be a sign of love, although not all of us show our care for each other in this way, as we discussed in our love languages blog. Again, love increases the release of oxytocin. For me Christmas is all about the presence, not the presents
Mental Health
Christmas is often, although not always, a time for joy and connection, so I encourage you to embrace it and take every opportunity to boost your mental wellbeing. Having said all of this, of course Christmas time can also be detrimental to mental health due to the expectations we perceive others have in us to put on the perfect events, to organise festivities and presents for everyone and get it all done on top of our already busy schedules. In addition, as we’ve discussed, many people feel lonely or have no-one to celebrate with, or simply don’t feel like celebrating. As always, if we can find the energy and motivation to make just one change, many of the others follow as the reward chemical dopamine kicks in.
So, if you can’t get a real tree, maybe just get out and take a walk in nature amongst the trees to take in some phytoncides, or just visit a Christmas tree farm or local seller. You don’t have to buy one! Or maybe you could try to get out to a carol concert to hear the singing, see the lights and be around other people.
These traditions and rituals are important for humans. They are a way to ground us, connect us and mark the passing of time and they are a welcome opportunity to improve our mental wellbeing.
Whatever you do this Christmas, we wish you every happiness and we hope that 2024 is a better year.
Well wishes,
Andie x
Image: courtesy of Pixabay
[1] Effects of phytoncide on immune cells and psychological stress of gynecological cancer survivors: randomized controlled trials
Heo et al, Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, 2023 Jun; 19(3): 170–180
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10331144/
[2] Adaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters When Walking or Running
Briki and Majed, Frontiers in Psychology, 2019; 10: 252
[3] Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function
Quing Li, Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine, 2010 Jan; 15(1): 9–17
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793341/
[4] L-Tryptophan: Basic Metabolic Functions, Behavioral Research and Therapeutic Indications
Richard et al, International Journal of Tryptophan Research, 2009; 2: 45–60