Are you feeling holiday pressure?
Do you wish you could move through this season with less angst and more joy?
Keep these 5 fast self-care fixes in mind as you navigate the season and say good-bye to holiday stress.
1. Nix the guilt and grant yourself approval.
- If you can’t make it to the boot-camp class, allow yourself the break and time for something else.
- Enjoy a tasty treat with full presence and mindfulness, not self-judgement or negative self-talk.
- Remember what you’re saying “yes” to when you say “no” to something not aligned with your goals or energy level.
- Let one long, slow deep breath replenish you when your monkey mind won’t let you settle down for ten–don’t try to force it.
- Enjoy the ‘five more minutes’ you long for relaxing in bed, sipping a second cup of coffee, watching the first light change the world around you….
2. Get a burst of energy from a simple 5-minute physical recharge (and possibly lower your cortisol levels and reduce food cravings).
- Walk outside and away from your house, office, party (yes, even if you’re the host) for 2 1/2 minutes and walk back.
- Grab some weights or something slightly heavy and do a series of arm curls, triceps presses, shoulder raises at different angles, or toss a 5-10 pound medicine ball in different ways.
- Lunge your way around your home, office or yard, taking deep steps forward, backward and sideways.
- Use a wall to alternate standing push-ups and hack squats against the wall.
- Gift yourself a cardio burst with some fun dance music.
- Jump into a cold pool or shower, then wrap yourself in a fluffy towel.
- Get more ideas from this blog post: “Working Out and Staying In”.
3. Keep healthy snacks handy.
Boost your mood with snack choices that provide you with solid nutrition, raise your level of feel-good hormones, and increase your body’s resilience to stress and anxiety.
- A trail mix of dried fruit and walnuts will boost serotonin.
- Peanut butter and an apple will give you a balance of protein, fats, carbs and fiber.
- Colored bell peppers load you with antioxidants and give a satisfying crunch.
- Fruit with cottage cheese or yogurt pairs a sweet crunch with creamy goodness.
- Dark chocolate + almonds = antioxidants + healthy fats = heaven!
- Cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls make a nutritious, portable protein and fiber combination.
- Beef jerky and beef sticks are super-handy, just check the nutrition label and look for the fewest added ingredients and lowest amounts of sodium.
- Whole grain crackers/bread and canned, wild caught fish will give you a boost of omega-3s, which may help smooth your mood.
4. Take a power nap or a little shut-down time.
(Disclaimer: I don’t like naps. There I said it. If I sleep for any amount of time during the day, I never feel refreshed afterward. But so much scientific research supports power naps, and I tend to be high-strung, so I experimented with what I call “shut-downs”, short intervals unplugged, eyes closed, and tuned out. And I feel AMAZING afterward. So if you’re like me and don’t enjoy naps, just keep reading….)
- For just 5 minutes, turn the screens off, tune the world out, and close your eyes or fix them on something beautiful like trees, a beach, rolling clouds, stars, or a field of swaying grass.
- Nourish your soul with tranquil sounds in nature or from a humming fan or meditation or prayer app (screen off or facing away).
- If your mind goes wild, try taming it with a slow song in your head, a simple mantra, visualization, or concentrate on your breaths slowing down and calming stress hormones.
- Go to bed 5 minutes earlier to allow yourself time to really wind down with some stretches, meditation, prayer, visualization, progressive relaxation exercises, etc.
5. Set up a self-care spot, basket or box–a mini-oasis for mini-retreats.
Decide that this little sanctuary is an electronic-free zone. Keep your spot, basket or box equipped with:
- water to drink
- lotion
- essential oils ready beside a diffuser
- books or magazines
- journals, paper, pens, colored pencils
- sewing or knitting projects
- photo albums
- crossword or Sudoku puzzle books
- a comfy blanket….
….whatever you’d like to have handy for a little down-time.
Often we spend down-time distracting ourselves on social media or playing online games because it’s easier than searching for those cool gel pens or new crochet needles that got stashed in a drawer somewhere. When you may only spare five minutes you want to put your hands right on something to feed your soul.
Thanks for reading. I hope these 5 self-care fixes will help you get back to your center and find your holiday zen. I’d love to know what you found helpful or what you need more support with. Reach out to me here.
Want even more holiday tips?
Check out my FREE Holiday Survival Guide to help you:
- Hone in on a Happy Holiday Mindset
- Keep Your Physical Health in Check
- Maintain Emotional Balance and Mental Stability
- Deal With Actual Holidays and PEOPLE
You’ll find it here!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, your life, love and wellness coach! I help men, women and couples figure out what’s keeping them from being happy and healthy so they can overcome those blocks and determine and implement steps to truly improve their lives, relationships, and physical and mental health. I’m a certified Professional Life Coach and Holistic Health Coach with a background in professional counseling. I’m ready to help you. jennifer@starkwellness.com
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