3 Tips To Boosting Your Holiday Season Resilience

While the holidays can be the best time of the year for some, for others it can feel like the worst. The American Psychological Association has actually found that almost half of women in the US experience heightened stress during this season, putting them at increased health risk.



Aside from holiday stress, SAD (seasonal affective disorder) or winter depression can make this time of year challenging.
 
To manage stress, it is common to resort to food and alcohol to manage stress. Self-care and stress-management techniques, on the other hand, can help you stay healthy and feeling like your best self during the holidays.
 
I remember a quote by Katie Reed, a writer, speaker, and mental health advocate. She said, “Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you.”
 
This holiday season, I invite you to give these resilience tips a try:

1. Embrace Your Healthy Habits

No matter what the season, embrace your healthy habits because they are the foundation to a healthy and awesome you! Be mindful of your physical activity–make sure you create ample time for movement and exercise every day. Physical activity does not only boost your energy but also elevates your mood. Get enough rest and sleep and eat healthy meals. 
 
Consider taking a break from social media and news. Not all news and updates we see online make us happy or are useful. You can choose to spend more time on rest or things that feel useful to you.
 
Read a book. Take a night stroll. Go stargazing. 
These are all good for your mental health–to free yourself from stressors by doing something nice for yourself, focusing on the moment, and reducing distractions.
 

2. Take Time to Reflect on the Meaning of the Season

What can you focus on that you enjoy about this time of year? What are the things that you’d actually like to do with your precious time rather than doing things out of obligation?  I suggest you take some time off to reflect on the true meaning of this season for you.
 
If you feel overwhelmed with gift shopping, why not prepare something that money can’t buy or donate to a worthy cause on someone’s behalf? If you’re feeling over scheduled, consider scheduling some activities later, like the first week of January.

3. Reach Out

We all have a comfort zone when it comes to time spent with others. It is healthy to want to spend some time by yourself! Listen to your inner compass when reaching out and connecting. Quality social connection is healthy whereas too much time with others and not enough downtime is not. Trust your judgement.
 
I hope that these tips help you feel resilient and fabulous over the holidays!

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health and happy holidays!

~Rebecca