Ways to stay calm and healthy for the holidays
Ways to stay calm and healthy for the holiday season. 11/9/23
By Stephanie Donofrio, LMFT www.stephaniedonofriolmft.com
Keep your self care routine
Make sleep, nutrition and movement a priority. Make space to enjoy the treats of the season, while keeping in mind your sugar intake. Excess sugar consumption will interrupt your hormone levels, mess with your blood sugar, insulin levels and your brain’s neurotransmitters. Combine that with a lack of sleep, alcohol consumption and increased stress can be a perfect storm for emotional and physical melt down.
Keep moving! Make movement/exercise fun. Go for a walk to look at the holiday lights in your neighborhood, go ice-skating, snow-shoe, go sledding, get in a snowball fight, Bundle up and go for a hike in the woods and enjoy the silence, dance!
Get to bed on time! Make the most of daylight savings and the early darkness. Shut down your phone and tv. Take a hot shower/bath, get into your comfiest pajamas, put flannel sheets on your bed and get to bed early.
Gratitude is a helpful attitude
Take moments to slow down and make time for self introspection. Reflect on your values, the people and things that you feel most thankful for. If you have difficultly pausing naturally; you may declutter a space in your home as you reflect on the past year, the present and what you hope to bring into the new calendar year. Clearing a space often creates both a physical and emotional “lightness”. Sometimes this exercise can be difficult when hard things are happening. Please challenge yourself to find something that feels like a beacon of light, what can you feel good about in your situation right now?
HO, HO, NOOOOOOOOOO!
Be careful to not stretch yourself too thin. This is a time of year that we tend to over-schedule and feel pressure to say yes to extra activities, events, time at work, errands and family/friend get togethers. Remember this is the time of year our immune systems are most under attack. Increased cortisol/stress hormone due to increased stress levels may leave you worn down or sick by the time the holiday arrives. Plan ahead how much time/energy you have for the next month ahead. Don’t feel pressure to squish everyone and everything in. Celebrations can continue into the New Year. It doesn’t have to be all done now. Make sure your yes means yes and to say NO when the voice inside says no.
Plan on the stress and anxiety
You may be hosting, you may be traveling to see family, you may be alone for the holidays. Whatever the heightened emotion or stressor might be for you. Think ahead to the day or two before the event and the day afterwards. Do not use these days for the final details. Make sure to take time off. Use this time to sleep more, schedule less, make more time for things that bring you personal joy. Treat or pamper yourself so that you show up more peaceful, grounded and enjoyable.
