The Fab Four: FOUR SELF-CARE TIPS TO BRING YOUR BEST SELF TO THE HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES AND INTO THE NEW YEAR
The Fab Four: FOUR SELF-CARE TIPS TO BRING YOUR BEST SELF TO THE HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES AND INTO THE NEW YEAR
Christmas is only a week away. Are you starting to feel it? As the holiday gets closer, the work always seems to ramp up at the office and at home. Trying to finish that last report so it isn’t hanging over your head? Knee deep in preparations for the oncoming Family Express? Don’t let it become a train wreck. Be good to yourself. Here are 4 ways that you can employ self-care to improve your chances of a successful holiday experience.
- PRACTICE GRATITUDE. Gratitude is among the most powerful positive emotions we experience as human beings. It helps us view the past with fond remembrance. It helps us hold a positive perspective in the present. It feeds an optimistic view of what lies ahead. Most people can tell you that they experience gratitude often; but for many, these moments can be fleeting and lose their transformative power as they’re quietly qualified internally before being let go. Practicing gratitude, however, can change your life…if you let it. Dr. Robert Emmons, psychologist and author of “Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier,” views practicing gratitude as a choice: a proactive way to train your brain to see life through a more positive and optimistic lens. His research links gratitude to improvements in overall well-being, energy, physical symptoms, relationship quality, and more. The key is moving the meter by practicing heartfelt gratitude daily. Check out these links to Dr. Emmons’ work, as well as several tips and exercises to begin shaping your new gratitude lens:
- GET MOVING! A little mental sluggishness from overeating, sugar crashes from the cookies, the remnants of last night’s eggnog: all of these and more work to plant you firmly on the couch in the proverbial holiday food coma. Get up and move! The positive relationship of exercise and emotional and physical well-being is simply undeniable. Get your heartbeat going by taking a brisk walk. Overrule that part of you that’s saying, “I’ll get back to being healthy after New Year’s.” Take 15-45 minutes for yourself a few times a week and fit a few moderate workouts into the holiday routine. It will help restore your energy, clear out the cobwebs, bring your digestive tract back to life, and assuage some of that guilt brought on by the second trip to the dessert table. Your mind and your body will thank you. Here are a couple of resources to help get you motivated for movement:
- CHOOSE EXPERIENCE. Are you oft maligned by the rabid rush of materialism during the holidays? Good news! A San Francisco State University study demonstrated that your money is better spent on experiences. Humans are social. In short, we need contact with others to flourish. Positive relationships, according to positive psychology founder, Dr. Martin Seligman, are one of the main pillars of overall well-being. In “Flourish,” he writes, “Very little that is positive is solitary… other people are the best antidote to the downs in life and the single most reliable up.” Take some of that holiday gift budget and put it toward experiences with friends and loved ones. A concert, a sports event, dinner a movie, sledding, building a snowman – pick something that engages your senses and share your experience with friends and family. The return on investment can be a mental and physical recharge, a deepening of meaningful relationships, and the creation of a lifelong memory. Learn more about Dr. Seligman’s work and choosing experiences over material objects by clicking the links:
- LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. The body – the gut in particular – gives you a wealth of information. Be aware and be available to receive it. The holidays can be stressful enough on their own, let’s not add to the stress by ignoring the signals it’s constantly sending. Use common sense. Eat when you’re hungry. Sleep when you’re tired. Hydrate when you’re thirsty. Becoming a sleep-deprived, hangry scrooge isn’t going to be fun for you or anyone around you. Take the time to check in with your body so that you can respond and give it what it needs to function optimally. If your GI symptoms act up, be aware. Was it the tomato sauce and the chocolate that flared up your reflux and bloat, or was it the anxiety around hosting your new wife’s family for your infant’s first Christmas? Once you’re dialed in to the signs your body sends, you can react quickly to rectify the situation and start feeling better. Click here for tips on what to “listen” for:
If you feel like you have trouble strategizing self-care, come on in for a coaching session and together we can tailor an individual plan that draws on your character strengths and fits YOU and YOUR schedule. Call 224.407.4400 or visit www.compgihealth.com to schedule an appointment.