During the Christmas chaos, training shouldn’t be the first thing to cut, but the absolute priority for mental health, because it biologically reduces cortisol and restores patience.
- The paradox: The more stressed you are, the less you think you have time to run. But it’s precisely when you’re stressed that you need it most.
- Killer cortisol: Holiday stress raises cortisol levels. Aerobic running is the fastest way to “burn it off” and bring back calm.
- The silence: In a period of constant noise, running is the only moment of guaranteed “me-time” and silence.
- Sleep and digestion: Physical activity counteracts the negative effects of heavy dinners, improving sleep quality.
- Control: In a chaotic month, training gives you back a sense of control over your life.
Feeling Like a Grinch? Maybe You Just Need Endorphins.
You love Christmas. Really. You love the lights, the gifts, the atmosphere. Yet, these days, you feel irritable. You huff in the checkout line, glare at whoever cuts you off in the mall parking lot, and the umpteenth group chat to organize the big dinner makes you want to throw your phone.
Are you turning into the Grinch? No. You are simply a human being subjected to a huge cognitive and emotional load. Year-end deadlines at work, budgets blowing up, social obligations of every kind. Your body is flooded with stress hormones. You need a release valve. And the good news is you already have it: your legs.
Why Stopping Running at Christmas Is the Worst Mistake for Your Nerves.
The typical reasoning is: “I’m swamped, I don’t have time for everything. I have to cut something. I’ll cut running.”
It is a grave error.
Training, in this period, isn’t about improving your 10k time or preparing for a marathon. It serves primarily as an emotional regulator. Stopping running in December means taking the lid off the pressure cooker just as you’re turning up the heat.
You don’t have to do 20 km long runs. But you must maintain the habit.
5 Reasons to Lace Up (Even for Just 20 Minutes).
Here is why going out for a run (or a fast walk) is more useful than a therapy session right now.
1. Burns Cortisol (The Stress Hormone)
Traffic, lines, the mother-in-law: all this activates your body’s “fight or flight” response, flooding you with cortisol. But since you can neither fight your mother-in-law nor flee from traffic, the cortisol stays there, making you feel anxious and nervous.
Aerobic running biologically “consumes” this excess of stress hormones and releases endorphins and endocannabinoids. It’s a chemical brain wash. You come home and, magically, problems seem more manageable.
2. The Gift of Silence (“Me-Time”)
Christmas is noisy. Music in stores, relatives chatting, kids screaming, constant notifications. Our brain goes into sensory overload.
Running, especially if done alone and perhaps without headphones, gives you the supreme luxury: silence. It’s an hour where no one asks you for anything. No one wants a gift, an opinion, or a ride. It’s just you and your breath. It is regenerating.
3. Improves Sleep (Often Disturbed by Food and Alcohol)
Heavy dinners, sugars, toasts. December is an assault on sleep quality. Alcohol fragments rest; digestion hinders it.
Regular physical exercise is the only natural way to increase “sleep pressure” (the physiological need to sleep) and improve deep sleep quality, partly counteracting the effects of overindulgence at the table.
(If you want to delve deeper into sleep benefits, see also the study on the relationship between exercise and sleep quality on PubMed).
4. Increases Patience
You know that feeling of Zen calm you have after a post-workout shower? That is your armor against intrusive relatives.
A runner who has run is more patient, more understanding, and more tolerant. Running gives you the clarity not to snap at the first provocation during Christmas lunch.
5. Gives a Sense of Control
December is the month of chaos. Schedules fail, unexpected events pile up. We often feel at the mercy of events.
Maintaining your running routine, even if reduced, gives you an anchor. It is something you decide, you do, you control. It reminds you that you are the master of your time.
Don’t Feel Guilty: If You’re Well, Everyone Is Better Off.
We often feel guilty “disappearing” for an hour on Christmas morning or Christmas Eve. It seems selfish.
Change your perspective: you aren’t doing it for you; you’re doing it for them.
Coming home sweaty, smiling, relaxed, and full of energy is the best gift you can give your family. You are a better version of yourself. And that’s worth more than any package under the tree.