5 Ways to Stay Stress FREE During the Holiday Season
This time of year can be ca-ca-crazy! Between the amount of chocolate Turtles just hanging around, the free flowin’ champagne, your infamous drunk uncle (aka, drunkle) and your extremely overused credit card, it can feel like a LOT in a short amount of time.
So here’s what I’ve been doing to stay centered throughout the most wonderful time of the year.
1. Make stress-free living a priority
I was pulling my hair out a couple weeks ago when I realized that I’ve been making everything in life a priority BUT a stress-less life. That’s when I realized that there’s no point in striving for anything if in order to do so, you have to sacrifice your sanity. So I decided numero uno priority was creating a stress-free environment. Once I set that intention, it’s been really easy to make any decisions because if it doesn’t fall into that stress-less category, it can eff right off.
2. Organic Essential Oils
Where have these magical little bottles been my whole life? I’m completely obsessed and feel the healing benefits almost immediately. I find myself breathing slower and deeper as soon as the scent hits my nose. I add a few drops to my diffuser or my personal fav…a few drops to my evening bath. My favorite scent right now is Spruce. Here are the benefits:
Resource: Buying essential oils: Firstly, make sure they're organic. Then I would recommend going to Optimum Health or Planet Organic to try out a couple sample bottles to see what scents give you a sense of relief (not just smell good). Then buy them in bigger bottles at New Directions Aromatics for WAY cheaper.
3. Yoga
I’m keeping up with interval trainings using my Kayla Itsines guides which can be pretty hardcore, but over the past few months, I’ve fallen in love with yoga thanks to my amazing sister. I know I’m about 10-15 years late on this yoga train but it’s better late than neva. Yoga forces you to breathe, which is something we often forget to do in our fast paced world. One of my favorite perks is learning how to breathe through a painful position. I’ve observed that trait translating into my daily life. I’m learning how to breathe through difficult situations instead of getting tense and going into reaction mode. So far, yoga has felt like one big metaphor for real life.
Resource: Use a yoga app: If it's not in the cards to hire a yoga teacher or attend a class, download the Yoga Studio app for your iPhone or iPad. The app is easy, super relaxing and available for all levels from beginner to expert. No excuses when you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
4. Eat well during the week
Plan to eat clean, drink lots of water and cut back on booze completely during the week so that you can enjoy parties, treats and festive cocktails on the weekends without feeling guilty. I’ve been following this plan for about a month now and it’s such a perfect balance for my lifestyle. At this point, I don’t know if I’m eating well for my body OR for my guilt-free mental state. Probably a lil’bit of both.
Resource: Your recommended daily water intake depends on your weight. Multiple your weight by 2/3 (or 67%) to determine how much water to drink daily. For example, if you weighed 175 pounds you would multiple that by 2/3 and learn you should be drinking about 117 ounces of water every day. Find out the conversion to cups here.
5. Feel the magic of the season
There really is magic in the air during this time of year. I think it has a lot to do with connection. We have the perfect excuse to spend time with the ones we love and maybe even spoil them a little. The idea here is to be present and really take in the beauty of this very special season. When you’re watching a holiday classic with your family, watch the holiday classic with your family. Put your phone in the other room and immerse yourself in the holiday memory you’re creating for you and your favorite people. Be in the moment because it'll be over before you know it.
Resource: List of movies to watch over the holidays. Check out Gwyneth Paltrow's goop blog post here for recommended movies to enjoy at home and in theatres this holiday season.
Now these tips may not be super unique, but I challenge you to try just one of them to grant yourself permission to simply relax. You owe it to yourself.
Tell me... what do you do to stay calm, cool and collected during the holiday season? Share your wisdom with the world in the comments below.