Love the holidays but feeling a little stressed out? All the hustle and bustle, expectations for perfection and just generally too much to do can take an emotional and physical toll on your body and mind. Give yourself a break. Try these tips and pass them on to your friends and family so everyone can enjoy the holidays feeling calmer and more relaxed. Now that’s a gift!
1. My favorite stress relief tip of all I learned from my friend Kathy. Take a relaxing bath. Read the magazine you have been saving, listen to soothing music, light candles and enjoy a cup of your favorite tea, hot chocolate, a glass of wine or even champagne. Close the door and forget about everything else for an hour or so.
I actually get a big kick out of a bubble bath with my cat Kato. Laughter is great which leads me to…
2. Plan a Comedy night. Serve all your favorite comfort nibbles: chips and salsa, crackers and cheese, pizza, chocolate, cookies, ice cream and don’t forget the popcorn! Open a bottle of wine, make a pitcher of margaritas or pour yourself a nice cold beer and spend a full evening watching your favorite happy, funny, ridiculous films. My husband and I find that relieving stress through laughter raises our spirits and is a great antidote to the pressures of modern life.
3. Get out of Dodge. Sometimes you just have to drop everything and get away even if it is just for a few hours. Head out for some peace and quiet to a place that represents calm to you. Whether it is the beach, a long walk in your favorite park or a hike in the mountains. Distance from problems can bring clarity.
4. Get a massage! If you have never had one or have not indulged in one for some time, do not hesitate one minute longer. Find stress relief and feel great by indulging in massage. Few sensual experiences rival a full-body massage for pleasure and stress relief.
5. Spend a week without watching any television or listening to talk radio. Television can fill your mind with negativity, bombard you with images that manipulate the mind and give you a distorted view of reality by showing you everything that’s bad about the world.
6. Exercise. Aerobic activity promotes better sleep, which helps with stress relief. Walking is great exercise and can be done anywhere you are. Something about being outside, observing the environment around you is very freeing. Enjoy the trees, flowers, birds, gardens, sky. My husband and I enjoy walking thru neighborhoods of beautiful homes or around our local lake. Feel your body in motion as you walk and reconnect with yourself.
7. Take a breather. Deep breathing by inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth helps to slow your heart rate and lower blood pressure. If you take 10 deep breaths an hour you can detoxify your body better than most cleanses. 8. Meditation practice allows your heart rate and breathing to slow down, your blood pressure normalizes, and you use oxygen more efficiently. Your adrenal glands produce less cortisol, your mind ages at a slower rate, and your immune function improves. Your mind also clears and your creativity increases. After meditation is when I have some of my most creative idea just pop into my head!
9. Yoga can produce physical benefits that everyone can see, and its practice can also give psychological benefits, such as stress reduction and a sense of well-being, and spiritual benefits, such as a feeling of connectedness with God or Spirit, or a feeling of transcendence.
Certain poses can be done just about anywhere and a yoga program can go for hours or minutes, depending on one’s schedule.
10. Listen to music. It doesn’t have to be just “soothing” music. Any music that you love will soothe your soul and reduce anxiety. My favorite is The Secret Garden. The first time I heard “Songs from a Secret Garden”, I was entranced from the very first note. The music is a haunting blend of classical, Celtic and Norwegian sounds. Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Lovland and Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry come together to create music that is unlike anything I’d ever heard before. So deeply moving, relaxing, and meditative, like a journey to a secret garden, every song takes you to a place where you can dream, reflect and melt away all the stress of the day. I saved the best for last. You can listen to this music with any of the tips above and take yourself to another level of relaxation.
