Are you experiencing the Holiday Blues?

Here are some tips to help you navigate through the holidays with ease and experience peace with whatever shows up!

PART 1 – Take Care of Yourself

The time between Thanksgiving and New Years can be a confusing, emotional, and exhausting time for many of us. It usually begins with not taking very good care of ourselves both physically and emotionally. We overextend ourselves by not getting enough sleep, eating more sugar and drinking more alcohol. We worry and get stressed out over how we can afford to buy all the gifts on our list. There’s the traditional Christmas cards to send, the Christmas tree to pick out and the rummaging through your dusty attic or basement for the ornaments. Add it all up and it can be challenging to spend time with let alone have a normal conversation with anyone.  Where’s the fun? Where is the Peace on Earth and the Good Will towards Men?

People often get so caught up into the frenzy of activity that any true heartfelt meaning is buried under the chaos of shopping, parties and overindulging. There are also people who feel alone, alienated and depressed during the holidays; missing family and friends, cultural differences, not having the money to buy loved ones and friend’s gifts.

Don’t worry!  I’m here with a few tips to help you stay balanced and healthy while enjoying yourself during this chaotic holiday season.

Do yourself a favor and take good care of yourself physically and emotionally during this time.  I cannot stress this enough.

Eat healthy, balanced meals and try to keep high glycemic carbohydrates to a minimum (bread, crackers, cookies, candy, muffins, chips, soda, fruit juice, ice cream, and cake).  Make sure you are getting enough protein and lots of fresh organic vegetables.

Many people think that they can skimp on eating during the day because they are going to a party that night and then over indulge with food and alcohol and it will all balance out. Don’t do this!  If you eat normal, healthy, balanced meals during the day you will be less apt to overindulge at the party because you will not be starving and suffering from low blood sugar when you get there! By all means you do not have to be a party pooper- just make conscious food choices and be aware that immediate gratification types of food and beverages often have a downside the next day! Think about how you want to feel. Hungover full of brain fog and lethargic or full of energy and vitality?

Exercise daily!

Even if you think you do not have time – do not skimp on this one. Bring your tennis shoes to work and take a walk at lunch time. When you have more time, go to the gym and alternate between cardio and strength training workouts, take a yoga class or do yoga with a video at home. Find time to take a walk in nature – even a park will do. The negative ions from trees and ocean will calm and balance your nervous system. This is a good time to be alone and decompress.

Meditate

If you do not meditate regularly now would be a good time to start practicing with even very short increments of time. There are many great resources for guided mindfulness meditations online – I’ve listed one at the end of this post. You can start with 10 minutes a day. Download them onto your phone and whenever you have 10 minutes of downtime where ever you are you can do a short guided meditation.

Eating a balanced healthy diet low on sugar and carbohydrates, exercising regularly and meditating even for 10 to 15 minutes a day will create a strong resilient foundation to weather the holiday storms of parties, traffic, relatives, and the three O’s: Overspending, Overextending and Overconsumption.

In Part 2 of this article I will address in more detail the benefits of a regular mindful meditation practice and how it will support you in balancing stress and making mindful conscious choices.  And how being kind and compassionate with others is the best gift!

For now, check out these Mindfulness Guided Meditation audios for download.