14/12/2022
Credit from Dr Steven Gundry MD. He is my health advisor through email.
Thank you 🙏
5Tips To Prevent ‘Holiday Burnout’
Tip #1: Welcome the chaos.
Accept that you will experience stress — and don’t worry about it too much.
Sure, long-term stress is unhealthy… but occasionally feeling overwhelmed isn’t the end of the world.
In fact, some stress is actually healthy for you.
Our bodies are not only designed for challenge, they’re built to thrive under the right amount of adversity.
So accept or even enjoy the ‘holiday madness’ — and embrace it as part of the overall experience…
And don’t let the idea of stress become the cause of it.
Tip #2: Slow down.
Especially during the holidays, our brains can feel so full of thoughts that it’s hard to focus.
“I have to get those shoes Betty wanted from Macy’s before they run out of them!”
“Oh! I can’t forget to order Josh’s shirt, or it’ll never arrive in time!”
“Oh no! I still haven’t sent Courtney and Max their Christmas cards! Will they get them before Christmas?”
When this mental chaos starts brewing in your head, here’s what I want you to do:
Slow down — literally.
Slow down your breath, move at a slower pace, and avoid multitasking.
Then, take a few breaths.
Slow, deep breaths can help lower blood pressure and heart rate, and calm the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight or flight response.
Here’s a quick and very effective yogic breathing technique you can try:
Alternate-nostril breathing to instantly banish stress:
Exhale completely and use your thumb to close your right nostril.
Inhale through the left nostril and then close the left nostril with your fingers.
Open the right nostril and exhale through this side.
Inhale through the right nostril and then close this nostril.
Open the left nostril and exhale through the left side.
Repeat two or more times.
It may take a few breaths to get the hang of it…
But once you learn this technique, you’ll see how wonderfully it works — and you’ll have another excellent science-backed tool for combating stress in your arsenal.
Tip #3: Move your body.
Hands down, the best antidote to stress ever discovered is moving your body.
Exercise releases ‘feel-good hormones’ in your body — and science shows it can even produce the same chemical reaction in your brain as an antidepressant.2
And you don’t have to go crazy either! You don’t need a gym membership, exercise program, fancy equipment, long workouts, or any of that.
If you ask me, it’s much better to just move continuously throughout the day, and fit in small bursts of vigorous movement whenever you can.
It could be doing squats (deep knee bends) while brushing your teeth…
Taking a short walk after dinner…
Parking your car a little further up the street…
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator…
You can even get some movement in while you’re shopping! If you’re stressed out at the mall, do a 15-minute power walk, then resume shopping.
The point is to just move around whenever you can.
It’s really the best way to stay mentally and physically at the top of your game any time of year.
Tip #4: Do something kind for a stranger.
The evidence is clear: When you do nice things for others… it makes YOU feel good, too.3,4
It can be as simple as holding a door open for someone… helping another person put something in their shopping cart… or just initiating small talk with another shopper.
I think you’ll find simple interactions like these really brighten your mood and make you feel more connected with others — especially during the holidays.
For example: Next time you’re out getting a cup of coffee, smile and greet the barista with a “Hi, how are you?”
Aim to do this year-round, of course…
But it can really make a difference during the holidays — when almost all of us are facing at least some stress.
Tip #5: Do something kind for yourself.
Shopping for gifts or making gifts, making sure the house is clean, preparing the food, making sure presents are wrapped and ready to be opened…
The act of giving gets so much attention during the holidays, it can be easy to forget to give back to yourself.
So remember to set aside time to do things YOU enjoy, that refill your own batteries.
Whether it’s making your favorite meal…
Binge watching your favorite show…
Taking a bath…
Whatever ‘rekindles your spark’ — do it!
After all, the only way to take care of others is to take care of yourself first.
Matter of fact — here’s a quick way to practice a little ‘self-care’ right now, without even stepping away from the computer:
Bonus Tip: Give yourself a hand massage.
This DIY hand massage for instant relaxation works wonders for calming an anxious mind.
It helps activate an anti-stress pressure point between your thumb and index finger called your hegu — which in acupressure is known to relieve tension.5
Here’s how you do it:
Gently press the web of skin connecting your index finger to your thumb.
In a circular motion, gently massage this area for 5 minutes.
Do this again on your other hand.
Pretty neat, right?
