From fun family traditions to colorful strings of lights and festive greeting cards, there is a lot to love about the holiday season! But add in things like work deadlines, travel, cash concerns or hosting family Christmas, and you may find yourself starting to feel less and less jolly. It’s not just you – 88% of people report feeling stressed during the holidays. Keep reading to learn 3 ways you can de-stress to avoid that Scrooge attitude and get back your holiday cheer.
Find some me-time in your busy holiday schedule to practice breath counting. This relaxing practice can help reduce anxiety, depression, irritability, muscle tension, headaches and fatigue. To start:
The act of focus and deep breathing requires time and effort to improve. If you can complete two minutes when you start, strive to develop a four-minute practice. From there, gradually increase to an ultimate goal of 20 minutes.
How you talk to yourself is important. Self-talk such as, “I’m so busy, I don’t have time for myself” can trigger you to behave in ways that are not supportive of your goals. If your inner dialogue is filled with negative self-statements, you can change your inner speech to be uplifting and supportive. Try this two-step approach:
For example, if your negative statement was: “I can’t believe I ate all those holiday cookies. I have no self-control. I’m a failure.” You could re-write this statement to be: “I ate more holiday cookies than I planned to today, but that’s okay. I enjoyed the holiday with my family and tomorrow is a new day. I will make mindful eating choices and reach my health goals one step at a time.”
Show yourself love and kindness! Download the FREE self-compassion guide to learn how to turn your inner critic into your biggest supporter.
Meet the oldest relaxation technique … meditation! To get your Zen on: