November 2010 Newsletter for the City of Somerville\'s Medical Reserve Corp.

1. Somerville Health
Department Newsletter
November 2010 Volume 1, Number 2
In This Issue Welcome!
• Holiday Stress Fall is nearing its end and Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.
With winter weather just around the corner, this month’s issue focuses
• Winter Weather on how to stay healthy during the cold months.
Preparedness
Thank you to the MRC members that helped out at the Vote & Vax
News Corner clinics this November. Your hard work and commitment to the city is
greatly appreciated.
• Somerville’s Flu Clinics
• Winter Farmers’ Market
Holiday Stress
The holiday season, starting in
November with Thanksgiving and
lasting through New Year’s Eve, is
supposed to be a time of joy, love,
and family togetherness. Yet, for
many people, the holiday season
can be overly stressful. Planning,
shopping, cooking, cleaning, and
traveling can be taxing. With some
useful tips, stress and depression
can be minimized.
R
ecognize the triggers:
Recognizing triggers can help prevent the onset of holiday stress.
Some common triggers are:
• Relationships- Family misunderstandings and conflict
can intensify when everyone is together for several days.
What’s your holiday A holiday without a significant other can be lonely and
stress level? cause feelings of sadness.
Take this quiz to see your
holiday stress level! • Finances- The thought of buying gifts for all your friends
and family, paying for plane tickets, and throwing holiday
parties can be burdensome financially and mentally.
• Physical Demands- Many people exhaust themselves
during the holidays by the extra shopping and socializing
of the season. Exercise and sleep is often neglected in
order to get everything done. Exhaustion causes stress
and makes you more susceptible to colds.
Tips for Stress Reduction
It is best to prevent stress; after hitting your peak stress level it is