The Holiday Crash
It’s a new year! That means the holiday rush is over and the post-holiday crash is upon us. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can bring a whole host of emotions to our lives. Family relations, parties, gift shopping and gift-giving are just some of the holiday pressures that build up the tension we may feel throughout the season. Let’s also not forget the stress that the seasonal menus may bring, whether it’s over/emotional eating, drinking more alcohol, or eating heavier and sweeter foods than we are used to. It all adds up to a tsunami of stress.
The Letdown
While we may have been able to charge through the season, flying on the fuel of parties, drinks, family, and get-togethers; our minds and bodies can only take so much of that merry-making before they break down. Our sleep patterns can become disrupted, our diets stretch far from the norm, and the social interactions can be emotionally draining.
January has become known as the month to re-set. Resetting our exercise and food goals can be enormously impacted by also resetting our mindset.
Permission to be Selfish
Take a deep breath and let’s think about it. After this season of giving, taking some time to give back to ourselves is perhaps a good idea. By beginning the new year in a positive way, we’ll be better prepared for whatever the ensuing months bring us. We should have the time now for getting enough sleep, eating right, exercising regularly and even meditation. FYI- all of these helpful tips were in December’s blog.)
If you’re looking to make that time for self-care and find a more in-depth list of different ways to restore and re-energize; this article from Diane Roberts Stoler Ed.D. is very helpful!
Let’s Meditate On It
Most people know I’m a big believer in the power of meditation. There are many positive effects of having a consistent meditation practice. Studies have shown that meditation can stimulate areas of the brain that may help control emotional reaction, attention and decreased blood levels of interleukin-6, which is associated with inflammatory disease risk. Meditation also improves physical and emotional health, enhances sleep, can bring about better health-related habits and behaviors, and more self-compassion. Through these studies, we have learned that meditation is a simple, scientifically validated exercise for your brain that enables you to put space between you and your emotions. Let that sink in.
One popular way of testing the “meditation waters” is to utilize a Meditation App like headspace. They gently guide you through mind settling exercises on your own schedule. The way they explain how a meditation practice helps reduce stress is “the drip, drip, drip effect of stress actually reshapes the structure and neural pathways of our brain — a process called neuroplasticity. In other words, the brain gets reprogrammed by the experiences it is continually subjected to. And that’s where meditation comes in.” January isn’t only for physical exercise reboot, it can also be our way to exercise our brains.
Starting the year off with intentional physical, mental and emotional practices will bring a Happy New Year to all of us. Basically, when we take care of ourselves, everyone around us benefits. It’s a win/win.
And as always, if I can be helpful in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out! All of my information can be found here.