Self Care During the Holidays

The holiday season is full of family, food, and gifts, but it can also be a time filled with stress and obligations. Here are some simple tips that we use to stay balanced through these busy times.

• Maintain an exercise routine. If you’re traveling, check out local gyms and yoga studios. Exercise helps you expend extra energy from being around extended family and friends or from eating all those extra cookies. Simply taking a short walk is beneficial and gets you outside into the fresh air.
• Come prepared for meals. If you have a special diet or food allergy, bring some of your own food to make sure you can eat. Offer to bring a dish that’s suitable for you that others will also enjoy.
• Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of paying non-judgmental attention to your whatever you are experiencing. Mindfulness won’t necessarily make you feel happy or joyful, but it can shift the way you relate to your experience, which can help to reduce stress.
• Practice breathwork. Here is a simple breathwork exercise: Spend at least 90 seconds taking long, deep breaths that emphasize your exhalations. Inhale through your nose and exhale – like a big, elongated sigh of relief – out of your mouth. Ideally, inhale for a five count and exhale for at least a seven count. The best thing about breathwork is that you can take a bathroom break, do a few rounds, and come back to the party feeling refreshed and focused.
• Give yourself permission to step away. We all operate a little differently and just because a setting is good for your friends or family, it doesn’t mean it’s comfortable for you. Going for a solo stroll or drive can help you get some peace and you can come back (or not) when you’re ready. 

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” ~Buddha