10 Ways to de-stress your holidays
By: Katie Thomson Aitken ND
1. Plan Ahead - Know what you are getting yourself into this season! Get what you can get done ahead of time while stores and supermarkets are less busy and the time crunch hasn’t hit yet.
2. Set Boundaries - Decide what’s going to work for you this holiday and let your friends and family know!
3. Evaluate Your Traditions - Feeling pressured to do something you don’t enjoy “because it’s tradition”? Re-evaluate the meaning of the tradition and see if you can rework it to get the meaning without the headache!
4. Eat Well - A no-brainer right? Not so much! Make sure to eat regular meals over the holidays to prevent blood sugar crashes, which stress your adrenal glands (source of stress hormones) and your brain and make you crave foods you wouldn’t normally eat.
5. Sleep Right - Parties are fun but nothing evens out your cortisol (stress hormone) better than a regular night’s sleep.
6. Exercise Often - So you can’t make it to the gym because you are out of town, or your yoga studio is closed for the holidays - you can still make an effort to move! Go skating! Take the kids tobogganing! Take a walk and look at the lights! Break out your crazy Christmas dance moves before all holiday music is once again vetoed for the rest of the year!
7. Indulge Wisely - The holidays are full of treats and it’s no fun to deprive yourself of everything so take a minute to consider what you really want and let the rest slide.
8. Take time for yourself - In weeks filled with visiting friends and relatives make sure you are getting the quiet time you need to feel happy and rejuvenated after the holiday season.
9. Ask for help - Sometimes you can’t do it on your own! Get your friend or family member to pitch in, or get a professional to do something you really don’t have time to do!
10.Breathe - Unlike eating and sleeping, most of us don’t notice when we’ve been neglecting deep breathing. Slow, intentional breaths are great for balancing out your nervous system to help keep you stay calm! The best part is that deep breaths are available to you, for free, any time. How about right now?
1. Plan Ahead - Know what you are getting yourself into this season! Get what you can get done ahead of time while stores and supermarkets are less busy and the time crunch hasn’t hit yet.
2. Set Boundaries - Decide what’s going to work for you this holiday and let your friends and family know!
3. Evaluate Your Traditions - Feeling pressured to do something you don’t enjoy “because it’s tradition”? Re-evaluate the meaning of the tradition and see if you can rework it to get the meaning without the headache!
4. Eat Well - A no-brainer right? Not so much! Make sure to eat regular meals over the holidays to prevent blood sugar crashes, which stress your adrenal glands (source of stress hormones) and your brain and make you crave foods you wouldn’t normally eat.
5. Sleep Right - Parties are fun but nothing evens out your cortisol (stress hormone) better than a regular night’s sleep.
6. Exercise Often - So you can’t make it to the gym because you are out of town, or your yoga studio is closed for the holidays - you can still make an effort to move! Go skating! Take the kids tobogganing! Take a walk and look at the lights! Break out your crazy Christmas dance moves before all holiday music is once again vetoed for the rest of the year!
7. Indulge Wisely - The holidays are full of treats and it’s no fun to deprive yourself of everything so take a minute to consider what you really want and let the rest slide.
8. Take time for yourself - In weeks filled with visiting friends and relatives make sure you are getting the quiet time you need to feel happy and rejuvenated after the holiday season.
9. Ask for help - Sometimes you can’t do it on your own! Get your friend or family member to pitch in, or get a professional to do something you really don’t have time to do!
10.Breathe - Unlike eating and sleeping, most of us don’t notice when we’ve been neglecting deep breathing. Slow, intentional breaths are great for balancing out your nervous system to help keep you stay calm! The best part is that deep breaths are available to you, for free, any time. How about right now?
For more information visit tworivershealth.ca