stress Archives - Mindfully Written

Managing Holiday Stress

It’s here. The holidays. By now, Thanksgiving is long past, presents are probably mostly purchased and wrapped, plans are made and now is when the real stress kicks in. Family, friends, outings, logistics, unhealthy eating, busy schedules, loss of routine, etc. This all has an effect on how we feel, how well we can manage our emotions and how we relate with others. This year, lets work on managing holiday stress.

The holidays are definitely stressful, more for some of us than others, but luckily, we can do something about it. This holiday season, you can stay sane.

How to Manage Holiday Stress

1. Say No: There is already enough going on and taking on too much is a recipe for stress and illness. Practice saying no or finding creative solutions to make the season less stressful.

2. Exercise: Move your body, get some fresh air and take the time to take care of yourself. Consider making family walks, sledding or other outdoor physical activities part of your holiday tradition. Again, take care of yourself and exercise is one of those things that is great not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

3. Eat Healthy Foods: It’ll be hard, especially if your family loves their sweets. Try to practice moderation with your food choices. Make good choices where you can, but don’t stress too much or you’ll end up feeling deprived and stressed.

4. Sleep: Get plenty of rest. Acknowledge that your schedule will probably be uprooted a bit, especially if you’re traveling, but do what you can to get to bed at a decent time and get enough sleep. Take short naps on days you feel wiped out. Doing too much on too little sleep will make you sick.

5. Ask for Help: You can’t do it all – none of us can. Try to simplify your plans where possible and ask for help when you need it. True self-care includes knowing your limits and not exceeding them.

6. Plan Ahead: Do as much ahead of time as possible. Get your presents purchased and wrapped, prep food, do grocery shopping, etc. The more you can do ahead of time, the less stressed you’ll be on the busy days.

7. Appreciate: Take a moment every day to think about what you have and find time to be appreciative of that. Reminding yourself of all the good in the world can help overcome stress and negativity. This is especially necessary if you have a challenging family to deal with.

Happy holidays everyone and this season, put yourself first. Practice some of these things to make your holiday more joyful and less stressful.

What do you do to relieve holiday stress? Share your thoughts in the comments for others to benefit from.

{Photo courtesy of my sister: Merry Christmas Mel!}

Staying Healthy While Traveling: Some Basic Keys

by Amber Erickson

The topic of staying healthy while traveling is complex. The type of trip, destination and other factors play a role in how you stay healthy, what items to bring to maintain health and things to watch out for. We’re talking in general today – maybe another time we’ll discuss jet lag, overseas travel, traveling with kids or family and other more specific issues.

This week I’m in Minnesota visiting my parents. My sister and I took the trip together, leaving our significant others and dogs behind. This trip is basic, no fancy location, no hotels, no unique destinations or reading maps. Trips home, like this one, have different kinds of challenges. The key to staying healthy and happy on trips like this can be divided into three main groups.

Sleeping

Different routines and time zone differences can make sleep a challenge. Here I’m staying up later than usual, but luckily am able to sleep in a little later too. The challenge has been crazy humidity (luckily I’m in the basement) and sharing a bed with my sister (a small bed at that). The upside is the days have been busy, so I’ve been tired, and it’s quiet here so I’m able to sleep soundly.

Regardless of the situation, the key to feeling good while traveling, even if just “going home” for the weekend, is sticking with your normal routines as much as possible and getting enough sleep.

Eating

Do as I say here and not as I do, sticking with your regular eating habits is one of the major keys to staying healthy and happy while traveling.For those with go-with-the-flow eating habits, this won’t be hard to do but for anyone with dietary restrictions or who eats very specifically at home, travel can be really hard. This week, I’ve been indulging in root beer floats, rhubarb pie (ala mode of course!), poppyseed cake (again ala mode), coffee anytime of day, french toast, breaded fish, candy, sandwiches, muffins, beer bread and chips. I should add, in my regular eating habits, I am gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free (unless I’m off the wagon like I have been the last couple weeks).

I have done well to eat relatively healthily during mealtimes because I know desserts and treats are inevitable at least once throughout the days. My sister requested a pie and it’s my dad’s birthday, so we have cake. It was also my grandma’s boyfriend’s (man-friend I think she prefers) 77th birthday so we had cake there. It’s also been hotter than hell with crazy humidity, so 4 o’clock coffee time, where my dad gets away from his welding business for 30 mins to socialize, rest and have an afternoon snack, has turned into ice cream and chip snack-fest. None of us are hungry anymore, but somehow the food keeps coming and my stomach is not happy. I can’t handle dairy, yet of course I’m eating ice cream with my cake. It’s my own fault, my narrow food preferences (requirements) are not fitting in well.All you can do is do the best you can. Or throw all requirements to the wind and eat what you want for a few days. The beauty is it’s your choice, but you must understand the consequences.

My problem is I enjoy all these foods – love them actually. It’s fun to eat them and indulge and just enjoy the memories wrapped up in making fish after a day of fishing or snacking on licorice in the boat. Sometimes this nostalgia wins, as it is this week. However, we still have to be smart and make good decisions for our bodies where possible. Energy, bloating, gas, the feeling of fullness and lethargy are all directly wrapped up in food choices, so choose wisely (or don’t – it’s up to you!).

Managing Activities

Trying to do too much will leave you exhausted. Doing too little might lead to boredom or a feeling of guilt that you didn’t fully utilize your time to explore and do new things. Keep your activities manageable and ensure your expectations are realistic for your situation. My week (Tuesday early a.m through Saturday a.m.) has included arrive in MN mid-morning (after super early wake-up time in CO), lunch with mom and grandma, two-hour drive to parents’ house, couple hours of work/rest, VFW for dinner, bingo, home late, Wednesday do some work, bike ride to town for coffee, little more work, grandma’s for cake, mini-golf, go-kart racing, dinner, home late-ish, Thursday town to get fishing licenses, walk to grandma’s, lunch at Just Like Grandma’s, fishing all afternoon, clean fish, clean ourselves, casino, home late, Friday early morning breakfast with cousin at grandma’s, work, golf, wake up Saturday, pack up, drive two hours to cities, lunch, airport, home. Lots of activity. Although we did have some down time some of the days to get work done, it wasn’t as productive or lengthy as it could’ve been to keep up. But I got done what I needed to get done, and still did a lot of fun stuff that I don’t do often, like fishing, golfing and playing bingo. While it feels busy, I’m glad we kept active rather than having too much down-time. Activities for us leads to a lot of laughs and fun, so it’s definitely worth it. For others, this kind of schedule and busy-ness could lead to stress and worry.

The whole idea here is just to take care of yourself. Sleeping enough, eating similarly to usual and keeping an achievable schedule will help you stay calm, have fun, feel good and have a great trip.

Share your experiences: Any fun summer trips planned? And how else will you keep yourself healthy and happy while traveling?

Yoga pose for stress relief: Pascimottanasana

by Amber Erickson

As most, if not all, humans can attest, life can be stressful sometimes. It could be one small event that triggers the stress response, or a series of events. Some of us are habitually stressed- perhaps with good reason, but for many, stress is just a way of life and we often just react without considering the acual event to see if stress is even warranted. In addition, our culture rewards stress. Everyone talks about how busy they are, how many things they have going on, and almost brag about not having any time for relaxation, reflection and nourishing activities. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” is a common phrase of our time, and I often think to myself: You’ll be dead a lot sooner if you don’t sleep, but that’s a whole other topic.

Everyone has to come to grips with their own stress, decide if it’s worth it, and make changes based on their own desires and circumstances. We all have different situations, responsibilities, and needs. For many, however, these situations, responsibilities and needs are taken for granted, or are assumed, so they are never questioned or challenged. For example, do you really need to lead the girl scout troup (insert any number of groups/organizations/events here) again this year, or is someone else wanting to step up. Why do you feel the need to do that activity anyway? Deep down, is it more about social standing or the feeling that you are expected to do it? These are important things to consider. You may not have the answers, you may not even want to think about the answer…and that’s ok. It’s your life, you have the tools to assess these sorts of things if and when you want to. Sometimes taking a moment to assess our motivations can reveal powerful truths about our existence and the lives we are choosing to live. Is there a way to reduce stress in our everyday lives? That is the root of the question here. While many of the activities already discussed come from turning inward to make outward changes or reducing the areas of life that contribute to stress, there are also many healing modalities that help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, or the area responsible for lowered heart rate, increased digestion, and the feelings of rest and relaxation. One such modality is yoga. Certain yoga postures, or asanas, activate the parasympathetic nervous system and with practice, can help the practitioner find feelings of peacefulness, calm and relaxation, in addition to physiological responses, such as breathing more slowly, reduced heart rate, decreased muscle tension and less pain.

How to do Pascimottanasana

One pose that is especially helpful for lowering stress and the associated effects is Paschimottanasana, a seated forward fold. Begin seated, with your legs extended straight out in front of you. Your feet should be about hip-bone distance apart, or one fist should fit between your knees. Actively engage your legs, pressing into the floor with your upper legs (hamstrings) and pulling your toes back toward your torso. Pull back equally through your big toe and pinky toe side. Be sure you are sitting on your sitting bones, with your pelvis slightly tipping forward. Think about it as if you are almost pointing your tailbone behind you. It may be helpful to tip side-to-side and pull some of the flesh from your bum out and back so that you can feel your sitting bones. Now, on a slow, conscious inhale, raise your arms up overhead, getting length through your entire spine. Exhale slowly fold forward, hinging at the hips and keeping a flat back reaching your fingertips and collarbones toward your toes. If you can comfortably reach your toes, hold on there and gently deepen the stretch. Be careful not to grab and pull or introduce any tension in your body. If you can’t reach your toes, reach as far as you can, then drop your hands to your thighs, shins or the floor outside of your legs. Take another inhale to lengthen your spine, then exhale and allow your head to rest comfortably, slightely rounding your upper back, but continuing to reach your collarbones toward your toes. Attempt to hold the pose with comfort and ease, although you are keeping your legs active and potentially feeling an intense stretch throughout your entire backside. Be sure to keep your legs straight, your spine long and most, most importantly, continue to breathe. Feel your body move slightly as you inhale and exhale to deepen the pose. Stay here for several breaths to several minutes, whatever your body is telling you to do.

Any alignment questions, let me know. Good luck and I hope you can find some peace and relaxation through this posture.

Namaste.