Doctor Levine and Doctor Roczey host lively and informative webinars every few weeks so that you can take practical tips into your daily life and improve your health, reduce your stress, enjoy the holidays and your life.
With the holiday season fast approaching for many of us, starting with Thanksgiving in a few short weeks, this can often be the start of a hectic and stressful time for many. How about shifting that stress to calm and enjoyment this year? The Doctors know you can do it and are here to help.
In this 45 minute webinar, learn ways to reduce, relive and say goodbye to stress this holiday season so it can be one of the most wonderful times of the year for you and your family.
Stress & The Holidays: Webinar – Transcription
Note: South Orange Chiropractic Center recorded this webinar of which is one episode. The webinar is produced and recorded for the ear and they were designed to be either watched live on video or listened to via audio. If you are able to, we strongly recommend listening to/watching this episode which will include emotion and emphasis that isn’t obvious when reading a transcript. Our transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and humans. They may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print. This is not meant to be chiropractic advice
[Moderator]
Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us for our webinar today. Stress and the holidays is our topic, and Dr. Levine and Dr. Roczy will spend about the next 30 to 45 minutes offering some practical tips and takeaways to thrive and enjoy your holiday season this year. For any questions you may have, can you please type them in the chat at the bottom of the screen, and we will then at the end of the webinar ask the doctors so that we will have lots of time for feedback. And with that, doctors, please take it away.
[Dr Levine]
So we wanna wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and holiday season, and however you enjoy the holidays. But we’ve been taking a little survey of our patients of what’s going on in your life? What kind of stress are you experiencing? Is it joy? Is it frustration? Is it anxiety? So what are some of the things our patients have been telling us, Mark?
[Dr Roczey]
Well, one of the things is they wanna know, like how do we handle stress throughout the holidays? Because as we all know, we’re hustling and bustling, we’re already at Thanksgiving, soon is December and we have a couple of big ones. And the number one thing is like, how do I keep my regimen? How do I keep my exercise in place while I’m so stressed out and limited with time?
[Dr Levine]
One of the statements I got from one of our patients, it was just yesterday, and they said, you know, I’m traveling this weekend. I’ve been real good on my Peloton and my exercise and my diet and now I’m gonna be on the road with family and my concerns are, will I keep doing the things I’ve been doing? And how do I get a handle on that? That was one. I think another one was family was a big issue.
[Dr Roczey]
Family’s big issue. Some of us love them, some of us are- Tolerating.
[Dr Levine]
Tolerating barely, right? Right.
[Dr Roczey]
So stress is a big factor in it. And even people with shopping and budgeting, and, you know, just being overwhelmed with one, everything that’s going on with the rising costs, but also like how do I budget appropriately to get through the Christmas holidays? So these are questions they’re asking their chiropractors.
[Dr Levine]
And what happens mentally and it manifests physically. And as chiropractors, we’re helping people move well, keep them loose and moving, keep their nervous system functioning, and we can certainly tell when we put our hands on someone or the instrument that we use, we can see a big difference in people’s function and how their muscle tone is. And we know when something’s going on in their mind, don’t we? We can tell right away.
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely. Absolutely. Physiologically, you could sense it in someone’s muscles and just the look in their eyes. And we’re seeing that right now.
[Dr Levine]
Right. So people are concerned about, you know, being with family, their diet, staying on board, getting back into their exercise routine and staying focused on what’s important to them. And there’s a lot of anxiety and there’s a lot of stress with some people. And some of our patients just experience, they love the holidays, they’re joyful, they can’t wait to see family, and it’s a great thing. So there’s a dichotomy of two different views and it’s neither good nor bad, it’s what’s so. It’s who you are from the inside out. But we came up with some solutions. Okay? Because we find that not only are we helping people feel better and get out of pain, but we’re in the solutions business to help them get well.
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely.
[Dr Levine]
Right? So what’s number one? What did we come up with as our number one solution?
[Dr Roczey]
The number one solution is, you know what? If you’ve been exercising, stick to it, and if you can’t stick to going to the gym, cause most of us like to go there, we have to go back to the basics, like what’s gonna keep our heart moving, our heartbeat accelerated. And the easiest thing we thought of is no matter how cold it is or how warm it is, wherever you are, the easiest exercise anyone could do is walk. Walking, walking, walking. And the, what is it? The food and the exercise healthy wellness, they’ve recommend about 30 minutes a day of walking. And one of the things that we know is time is an essence, but you can chunk that down. 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon, 10 minutes in the evening. So there’s possibilities for someone, even if you’re overwhelmed and limited for time.
[Dr Levine]
Right. So even by going out for a walk, not only is it physical, it’s mental too. Go out with your loved one or go out by yourself and just be alone with your own thoughts and process the day, you set your own goals. It’s just time that you can decompress and do something positive on a physical nature. You know, it’s been recommended that 30 minutes a day, five days a week can reduce most chronic diseases, whether it be diabetes, heart disease, cancers, you know, it’s been written up in many periodicals how effective that is. So think about exercise as number one. Don’t give up the routine. And I think this week we’ve had a couple of people said, you know, those exercises you gave me from my neck and my back, can I get another copy of that? Can I get a printout of what you gave me in the beginning? ‘Cause people got off track and they wanna, especially if they’re traveling, take the printout that we give our patients, which has some pictures and timeframes and repetitions to help their chronic problems stay well.
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely.
[Dr Levine]
Right?
[Dr Roczey]
And there’s also exercises we’ve given our patients where you can perform all the types of exercises you would do regularly in a gym, just using your own body. We just have to modify everything. So if there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’re here to provide that solution for all of our patients on exercise. So don’t give up, keep pushing for your health habits.
[Dr Levine]
Okay. So obviously, we talk about maintaining your adjustments or getting your chiropractic adjustments before and after you travel, but besides that, in addition to exercise, we talk big about nutrition because you are what you eat is the motto. And we know we don’t wanna be chocolate chip cookies and candies and extra pumpkin pie, this weekend, like,
[Dr Roczey]
100%.
[Dr Levine]
There’s other things that we can do, right?
[Dr Roczey]
Right, you gotta remember, there’s over 100 million neurons in your stomach alone, and your stomach lining actually produces most of your serotonin for your feel good mood neuro-transmitters. So when you eat that extra ice cream or chocolate pie or pumpkin pie, how are you gonna feel in the morning? And you know, you really feel resentful of what you’ve eaten and sometimes sluggish. So plan your eating before you go to the party. Yes, we all love our mom’s cooking or our mother-in-law’s cooking, but the thing is, plan out exactly what you want. Maybe eat the whole food nutritions instead of the dips and the chips and all the different meats and the cheeses. Why don’t you go for the green, leafy type? The carrots, the broccoli. Things that might be a little bit more healthy, And if you were to dive into some of the, you know, more satisfying treats, pick a smaller plate. Just pick one small plate that you don’t over layer, but you pick three or four items that you say, Hey, this is worth me cheating for and I know that the next day I’m gonna have to work out and get my body back in alignment.
[Dr Levine]
I think we all like sampling all the appetizers
[Dr Roczey]
Of course.
[Dr Levine]
And the things that come around, but there’s the expression, everything in moderation. And it’s okay to have your cheat day, but let’s balance that out with a strong recovery day and maybe do some extra pushups or mountain climbers or go out and do a 30 minute walk.
[Dr Roczey]
Sure.
[Dr Levine]
Or maybe go out and walk ahead of time. But I think in nutrition, I think water intake is critical. You’re gonna say that?
[Dr Roczey]
Yeah, I was gonna say that. As in don’t go to the party starving. Drink a couple of glasses of water.
[Dr Levine]
Right. Stay hydrated and keep the muscles moving. You know, we have about 660 muscles in our body and they’re 82% water. So the formula we tell all our patients is.
[Dr Roczey]
Half your body weight in ounces, and
[Dr Levine]
Do I need a calculator for that one?
[Dr Roczey]
Nope, just 200 pounds
[Dr Levine]
No? Just do a half.
[Dr Roczey]
Cut into half is 100 ounces. And if you think that’s too much water, it’s time to start moving all those exercises. So you gotta keep moving.
[Dr Levine]
Yeah. So good exercises. So we have move well and eat well are the top two. Next is of critical importance and we all never get enough of this. We always want more of it and we feel really good when we have it. And what would that be?
[Dr Roczey]
Well, a lot of us, it’s sleep. It’s essential. We need seven to eight hours each and every night, but most of the patients we talk to nearly get close to that. They’re talking four hours, five hours.
[Dr Levine]
Five hours. Right.
[Dr Roczey]
At the most. And we do have a lot of recommendations and one could be, Hey, the environment that you sleep in, and Dr. Levine can elaborate on that.
[Dr Levine]
So, you know, think of keeping your environment and the room that you sleep in cool, dark and quiet. Cool, it should be in the 60s, all right? 65, 66, maybe depending cooler, but in that range. Check the LED lights in your room. Make sure there’s no little lights going on. Cover them up. Put the shades down. If you have blackout shades, you’ll certainly sleep better. And so it’s cool, dark and quiet. You might need to put the dog out, whatever it is, or get that baby sleeping early. But a lot depends on how we prepare for sleep. We wanna take that hour to two hours prior to sleep and tone it down. You don’t wanna be drinking alcohol, smoking or having a big meal two hours before you go to bed, you wanna prepare for sleep and, you know, make sure that you’re not watching an action movie or the news. Turn that stuff off. Maybe read something, maybe go on the floor and do some light stretching. But I think that’s it.
[Dr Roczey]
Yeah.
[Dr Levine]
Good steps.
[Dr Roczey]
One thing is put down the iPad or the computer ’cause we know the screen has an effect on your- Brain.
[Dr Roczey]
Your brain activity. So give it a rest. And then one of the things we were asked all the time is how do we get a good night’s sleep? And one of the best things we found so far, which is CBD oil, and the three top recommendations are sleep, anxiety and pain.
[Dr Levine]
And pain.
[Dr Roczey]
And it’s been working so well for our patients for sleep. So we brought an awesome product and we provided here for our patients because it’s natural, it’s effective, and it’s a solution to their needs. And it’s one thing, I used to take quite a few different types of things to go to sleep and now I’m just taking that along with the combination of melatonin at times. And even melatonin is a highly recommended. It’s natural, it’s effective. Our brains normally produce it, but when we’re under too much stress, there’s lack of. So if you regiment it with CBD oil and some melatonin, our patients are sleeping soundlier, and more importantly, us as chiropractors and providers who need our sleep, we’re waking up charged and ready for whatever comes our way so we can help our patients.
[Dr Levine]
Right. And we made a list of seven things to decrease holiday stress, and we just gave you three, you know. So exercise, proper nutrition or mindful nutrition, and getting proper sleep. One of the things that people get anxious about during the holidays is preparing, thinking about family, thinking about travel, making their lists, trying to do some shopping, trying to do some budgeting, but one of the best things to counteract that is?
[Dr Roczey]
plan for it.
[Dr Levine]
Right.
[Dr Roczey]
Yeah, plan for everything that is coming your way, having clear goals. And the best way to remember things is to write it down.
[Dr Levine]
Write it down. Make your lists. When you accomplish something, put a V for victory next to that item, feel accomplished by getting things done. Setting clear goals. It doesn’t help you mentally feel better, but if you have a list of things you wanna get done for the day, what are your top three or top five? And get the toughest ones done first. So what’s your goal for the day? What do you wanna get done for the week? And feel accomplished and pat yourself on the back for getting a lot of things done. So setting clear goals is important, and sometimes you just gotta chunk it down to little things. You know, Hey, goal number one, I woke up and got dressed. Victory. All right? Make some small goals. You don’t have to make major big goals, right?
[Dr Roczey]
Yeah, absolutely. And then, you know, as the day progresses, review those notes, see where you are and reflect upon yourself, and actually give yourself gratitude for the simplest of things that you’ve accomplished and that you’ve laid down and gotten through. So you’ve gotta go back to self reflection, and gratitude is the number one way to do that. And say to yourself, I’m grateful for getting these goals done. I’m grateful for having the finances to afford my family gifts or presents. I’m grateful to be able to serve a Thanksgiving Turkey dinner. It’s, you know, give yourself that gratitude that you’ve accomplished so much more.
[Dr Levine]
Right. And sometimes it’s not what we want or what we’re wishing for, it’s just being grateful for what we have. Being grateful for where we are, what we’ve accomplished and be satisfied. And if you have to, you know, or want to, write a journal. Open up a book and make some notes every day what you’re grateful for, what have you succeeded in today, what have you accomplished, who are you glad to be with, who are you glad have as family and friends? So it’s those little things that make the big things big. So that’s important, I think. Probably with gratitude, I would say stay positive.
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely.
[Dr Levine]
All right, don’t beat yourself up.
[Dr Roczey]
Right. Say you know what? Put yourself in a positive mindset every day and it could be as simple as I’m healthy, I’m grateful, I’m happy, and set the tone for how the rest of your day is going to be. And yeah, we all get upset at times, but you know what? Give yourself that two or three minutes to be upset with whatever’s going on, but then jump back on the happiness and health wagon because you know what? Whatever you put out is what you attract back into your life, tenfold. So I’d rather put out happiness, wellness, prosperity any day than pissed, poor attitude.
[Dr Levine]
I think also when it comes to planning and mental preparation and reducing anxiety is what’s the big vision? What’s your vision? What’s your purpose? You know, they always say, you should have a dream, ’cause if you don’t have a dream, how can you have your dream come true? So think big, think bigger than yourself and what’s possible? And when you have a purpose in mind, it just keeps you going day after day after day, and everything you do and things that you’re saying, and people that you meet are all geared to helping you get to your goal, your vision, your purpose, right?
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely. Yep, completely.
[Dr Levine] I think we covered quite a bit. I think we covered the exercise, nutrition, sleeping well, having gratitude, writing a gratitude journal, being positive, setting clear and defined goals, and having a plan, you know. If you don’t have a plan, you can’t work your plan, right?
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely.
[Dr Levine]
And it’s good to write things down. I think also, why would you wanna hang out with people or surround yourself with people, even though sometimes family, you can’t help yourself, but you want people that build you up. You want people that are positive around you. So, you know, pick your friends, pick the parties you wanna go to, pick the dinners you wanna go to. It’s okay to say no.
[Dr Roczey]
No.
[Dr Levine]
Right? Especially if it’s gonna bring you down. So spend time with people that you care about, people that you love, people that support you. I think it’s you’re product of your environment, so surround yourself with good environment. Right?
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely. And most importantly, it’s about life. It’s so short and we should be grateful everyday we wake up, it’s have fun. Enjoy the day. And as Dr. Levine said, surround yourself with people who you really wanna be around. Say, no, and most importantly, have fun. We at South Orange Chiropractic have fun each and every day, and that’s one of the things that I think drives us to come to work to help so many people is we love seeing the results that they’re getting. We love seeing how patients are able to get back to their normal activities, their goals of life, and they’re achieving it more and more because of the environment that we’re here, we’re having fun getting people from pain to wellness from an incredible team.
[Dr Levine]
Right. And every one of us in our office are happy to serve, happy to serve the patients that come in here because we see the results. We see people come in with pain, with challenges that are not getting better with drugs or surgery or injections, but they’re getting well naturally with the solutions that we’re coming up with. With proper nutrition, guiding them on exercise, doing the right consultation and getting the right evaluation done, so we know exactly what the problem is, where it is and how bad it is. And with that information, we can guide someone on a path to wellness, right?
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely. So we wish you all a happy Thanksgiving, happy holidays.
[Dr Levine]
And a happy New Year, and know that we’re here to help.
[Dr Roczey]
Absolutely.
[Dr Levine]
And we’ll take any questions of anyone on has a question for us.
[Moderator]
Thank you so much. That was really informative. We do have a few questions. One of them is tied to when you brought up a point about making sure you take your appointments before and after the holidays to maintain your goals. But in the meantime, do you have any resources that if someone really needed access to, whether it was a short video or something to help them with their stretches or reaffirm what you’ve told them. Do you have anything to share with your patients that are a good resource?
[Dr Roczey]
Yeah. I think the best resource is our website, southorangechiropractic.com. And if you go under any of our exercise tips, they’re there. And more importantly, if someone has a direct question, they can come and call us any time. Both of our cell phones are on the list there, and we’re always obtainable. And Dr. Levine’s picked up the phone on Sunday nights and we’ve taken patients from crisis mode to feeling great in a matter of minutes with the most direct advice on how to achieve that.
[Dr Levine]
Right. So on our website, you go to the patient center, go to the blog, the BLOG, and there’s videos how to stay fit while you sit, and there’s other videos that we’ve done from sessions just like this that will be helpful.
[Moderator]
Thank you. One of the question I’ve received is, would you have any particular exercises that in a case of where you’re sitting in the car traveling between family houses, you know, some people have multiple Christmases and Thanksgivings, and so they’re traveling. Is there anything you would recommend they could do at the airport or in the car to kind of keep themselves limber in those long sitting situations? I know it ties back to your fit while you sit, but I didn’t know if there was anything that you could recommend.
[Dr Roczey]
You know, everybody’s condition is specific and different, but if we were to do the most basic stretches, it could be a sitting in a great chair with good posture and a nice knee to the chest. You can always extend your leg out to stretch your hamstrings, or even bend forward between your legs. But then again, if anything hurts you or causes pain, you wanna stop immediately because everybody’s condition is sensitive and specific to what their needs are. We would have to definitely customize that type of exercise regimen.
[Moderator]
Okay.
[Dr Levine]
You know, a lot of people are bent forward and leaning in a forward head posture. So just changing your posture, sitting upright, doing some shoulder rolls, you know. In your car, you’re very limited. You might wanna pull over and stretch out your hamstrings or your quads, but if you’re sitting in the airport and you’re gonna be sitting on a plane, keep walking. Get up and move around.
[Dr Roczey]
Good idea.
[Dr Levine]
Hydrate. These are things that you can do.
[Moderator]
That’s great. Another question is if they wanna schedule a session before the holiday, do you have on the website all your up-to-date office hours through the holiday season?
[Dr Roczey]
Yes there is. Actually right before Thanksgiving, we had everybody emailed our holiday hours, but our hours are the same. We’re here.
[Dr Levine]
We’re here Friday and Saturday too. Right after the holidays.
[Dr Roczey] Right. So they are updated, they are active. If any changes are made, they would be highlighted in red, but as of now, we’re fully open and committed.
[Moderator]
That’s great. That’s great. Well, that’s all the questions I have. I wanna thank everybody and thank you, Dr. Levine and Dr. Roczy for hosting this webinar, it was really informative, and look for this to be posted on the website in the coming days. And if you have any further questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to South Orange Chiropractic. They can be located on their website at www.southorangechiropractic.com, and their phone number is 973-761-0022. Thank you very much doctors. I really appreciate.
[Dr. Levine]
Thank you so much. Be well.
[Dr. Roczey]
Thank you.
[Moderator]
Thank you.
