It’s kind of inevitable that we end up in a frenzy during the holidays. For over a month, we’re bombarded with reminders to shop, decorate, prepare, and celebrate, dangit! There’s so much pressure for perfection, and so many pieces involved in making it all fall into place properly. Not to mention, you often top this off with travel to visit family, or host them in your own place. There’s no denying that it’s easy to get carried away, stressed out, and lose your center.
Thankfully for you, KEEN has compiled a list of advice to help revitalize your mind, body, and spirit during the holidays.
1. Love Your Body
Yes, your body really is a temple, and yes, you really should treat it as such. Especially during this time, make sure to keep a well-balanced physical regimen for your overall well-being. Exercise regularly, try not to consume too much caffeine, sugar, and alcohol, and remember: always get your beauty sleep! Eat healthy, work your body, and sleep hard. This is a baseline in stress reduction.
2. Relax at Will
People have trouble believing this, but you have the power to easily change how you think and feel. You can practice learning to relax, and it will eventually become a habit. If you need some help in relaxing, start by closing your eyes and taking some deep breaths. Yoga, meditation, or guided imagery are extremely helpful, too. And don’t forget that soothing music!
3. Take a Break When You’re Getting Stressed
When you find yourself starting to lose it, or butting up against your own rigidity or circular thinking, take a step back. Take a look at yourself from outside of your body. Doing this will help you recognize that you’re alive and in charge of your life, and can control how you respond to stress. This allows you to clear your mind and give you back your perspective, flexibility, and common sense.
4. Laugh it Up!
Humor, by its nature, provides instant distance, balance and perspective, if even for a moment. Laughing and humor allow us to take everything, especially ourselves, less seriously. So practice finding the funny lining in everyday events. Laughing itself is priceless. A belly laugh changes biochemistry and clears out emotional gunk like little else.
5. Practice Staying in the Moment
By mindfully going about your day, putting your awareness into what you are doing at the moment, you will be using even mundane, everyday activities as the focus of meditation, and simple as it sounds, you will regain peace and balance. Yes, peeling potatoes can be a route to spiritual attainment and inner peace!
6. Appreciate Every Moment
There is beauty in everything. There is even beauty in chaos. This includes the chaos of the holidays. Planning, scheduling, and managing so much during this time can be stressful, but there is beauty around you everyone. It’s in the moments with family, in loving gestures, in spreading joy and helping others in need. Practice gratitude for these lovely bits and pieces of daily life is a potent way to de-stress, and it’s contagious, too.
