We all know that the holidays are supposed to be festive, joyous, a time to be with loved ones, and even an excuse to work less and have a break from work. But why is it so common to develop a cold, the flu, or other maladies after the holidays are over? After all, isn't it common knowledge that relaxation and good times are the medicine the body needs? It is true that the holidays can be stressful, and it is well known that stress is associated with making us more vulnerable to illness. But why should positive and happy times be associated with illness?

The Let Down Effect which explains why we become ill after periods of stress, can also clarify how this happens during the good times in our lives. The Let Down Effect is a condition where high energy or activation levels in the body are immediately followed by a rapid drop in activation levels. This is comparable to a speeding car coming to a sudden, screeching halt. The final result is an immune system that has been down regulated or compromised, leaving the body open to illness. It would not seem surprising if after burning the midnight oil for weeks that we would develop a cold or the flu after abruptly taking a holiday respite. Yet once the good times have finished rolling, and have come and gone, we can be equally as susceptible to the Let Down Effect.

To guard against the Let Down Effect and post holiday illness, consider "cooling down" gradually. We implicitly accept the value of cooling down after exercise, and this is equally important in fending off the holiday let down. Instead of jumping back into the work mode after your high activation festivities or celebrations, consider scheduling a low key fun day. Let Down Blocking techniques can also be helpful by slowing the pace of the let down while boosting the body's immune response. Short bursts of exercise (even a five minute duration), a friendly game of scrabble, chess, cards, or Rummikub (rummy cube) with time constraints can also block the impending Let Down Effect.

As alarms have sounded regarding Swine Flu, numerous communications have been issued by the media, the Center for Disease Control, and other health spokespersons regarding the containment of the disease. The general theme of these messages is to remain home if you are ill, avoid contact with those that are ill, get plenty of sleep, and of course, wash your hands frequently. These preventions are the tried and true measures that have been perennially promulgated with each annual cold and influenza season.

      Despite the wisdom of these measures, there is an important health advisory that is conspicuously missing. And that is the importance of managing stress and emotions with respect to the spread of Swine Flu.  This is unfortunate given that stress and emotions play an important role in disease prevention and recovery.  Let's briefly review what the research indicates about stress and illness.

      Cohen et al. (1998) were the first to document that stressed individuals were the most likely to develop cold symptoms. Gidron et al. (2005) learned that psychological factors, particularly hostility, were predictive of which elderly individuals developed influenza. And it has been known for some time that depressed individuals are more likely to become ill than non-depressed individuals. Glaser et al. (1998) reported that students reporting less stress responded more favorably to an influenza vaccination. The Let Down Effect (Schoen 2001) is a common cause of post stress illness. In this condition, illness materializes once a stressful period has passed. The stress response triggers hormonal and immunological changes that give rise to the Let Down Effect.

      So given the research data, why is it that stress and emotional management is not being recommended with other flu prevention measures? Perhaps only a small percentage of people are willing to comply with stress and emotional management. If this is indeed true, then it would be unfortunate since targeted stress management techniques can reap health benefits often in a matter of minutes.

      In my own  practice, having clients do a simple one to three minute breathing technique several times a day has proven beneficial in sustaining health against frequent bouts of cold and flu. Even short bursts of exercise of about five to six minutes a day can have significant immune boosting benefits while relieving the stress response. A short jog around the block, sprinting up and down several flights of stairs, or a swift walk around your office building at work would all qualify. The simplest method of all is listening to a relaxation or hypnosis CD with stress relieving suggestions at bedtime. Night time CD listening requires virtually no effort, particularly since you can fall asleep to the CD and still derive health benefits from the experience.

      As you can see, there is no heavy lifting required for managing stress as it relates to illness. Even minutes a day can do the trick. Despite what is commonly believed, it is not necessary to banish your entire stress response to harvest health benefits. Instead, lowering the stress response by 20 to 30% can be clinically significant. The prospect of warding off weeks of illness with just minutes a day is an enticing proposition.

When Relaxation is Hazardous to Your Health. Mind Body Health Books, 2001 by Marc Schoen