The holidays are creeping up, the weather is changing rapidly, and the new year is just around the corner! It’s understandable between the sugary treats, Netflix binges (because it’s too cold to get outside), holiday parties, frenzied shopping, and the amount of traveling you may be doing, you might be feeling anxious and moody.

It’s not uncommon for stress to keep us from enjoying the holidays as much as we like. You might be stressing about:

·       Food choices
·       Difficult family relationships
·       A desire for everything to be “perfect”
·       Loneliness
·       Fear of another year coming to a close

If this is you, just remember that you are NOT alone. But what can you do to find more peace and joy this holiday season?

Sure-Fire Formula to Reduce Stress = Self Awareness + Self Care/Me Time + Consistent Healthy Habits + Avoiding Sabotage + Accountability

In addition to the holiday season, we are all vulnerable to the impacts of stress. As many know, stress is one of the leading causes of preventable diseases like heart, stroke, diabetes and obesity. In order to reduce stress, we need to recognize when and why it’s happening.

So why does a stress response occur? A stress response is our brain’s reaction to a situation, therefore affecting our heart rate, our moods, our organs, and our long-term health. Our brain then triggers our nervous system which is made of 2 components: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

Sympathetic - stress response, cortisol increase (stress hormone)

Parasympathetic - rest & digest response, serotonin increases (happy hormone)

To live a calmer life, our goal is TO INDUCE THE PARASYMPATHETIC AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE. It’s not always easy, but with intention and practice, it truly is possible to change your brain chemistry, your behaviors, and your impulses during stressful periods.

Here are some valuable tips:

SET GOALS AND INTENTIONS

Set your intentions ahead of time, before the holidays, each week, each day. Intentions will keep you in alignment with your health goals.
Ie, GOALS: During the holidays, I want to maintain my weight, stay calm and enjoy peaceful quality moments with my friends and family - without giving up social events, flavorful food, and productivity. Each day set your INTENTION for the choices and behaviors you will make in order to stay in line with your goals.

SELF-AWARENESS

Learn to trust your gut, trust your intuition, and build body awareness. Use all 5 senses to evaluate how you are eating, how your body responds to certain foods and drink, and when/why the heart rate rises during certain situations. The more we can recognize the problem, the better we can address it in real time and come up with solutions.
Ie, Eating too fast and not chewing creates a stress response in the body --- slow down take 15-20 minutes for meal with no distractions.
Intentional Breathing -only takes 2 min to change the nervous system into parasympathetic. 557 breath. Breathe in the nose for 5 seconds, hold for 5, slowly breathe out of pursed lips for 7 seconds.

SELF CARE/PLEASURE MENU

Create list to refer back to, of fun and relaxing things you like to do. For instance, massage, manicure, warm bath, meditation, walk in nature, coffee with a friend, puzzles, journaling, hobbies, etc. These activities will induce your happy hormones and counterbalance the stress hormones.

FOOD

Not processed – as natural to the source as possible.
Cook ahead and freeze
Pick out recipes ahead of time for meals and social engagements
Make sure you’re eating your fruits and veggies
Hydrate, approximately 64 oz per day

MOVEMENT

getting some form of movement in every day. At minimum, 20 minutes of fast heart rate exercise.

REST

6-8 hours per night. Power-down hour before bed. Power down electronics and TV, warm bath, scented candles/oils, reading, journaling. No caffeine after 4pm.

AVOID SABOTAGE FROM SELF AND OTHERS!

SELF -Sometimes the story we tell ourselves is very self-defeating… and untrue. These stories stem from old beliefs about yourself and the world around you that once served to keep you safe – and now no longer serve you.
OTHERS – It’s easy to feel pressured by others to eat, drink and fall off track with your own goals. Just realize that you have the POWER within YOU. The power of CHOICE. The more self-aware you are in the moment, the better choices you will make for yourself.

STAY ACCOUNTABLE!

Weekly check-ins to stay on track: reminders for yourself, accountability partner, coach, etc.

BOTTOM LINE

Do not lose sight of your health, because as your health declines, everything else will NOT go well! I invite you to keep in mind these key ingredients to NURTURE YOUR BODY & SPIRIT during this busy time of year.