How to De-Stress at Holiday Time
Kathryn D. Leary - Co-Founder and CEO of OneFirelight
OneFirelight: One Mind. One Body. One Spirit. One Love.
Although the holiday season is often thought of as the most wonderful time of the year, it can bring with it added stress from shopping, cooking, decorating, and hosting parties to accommodating the needs of extended family members. It’s important to make wellness a priority and give yourself the gift of unwinding physically and mentally.
Too often, there’s an emphasis on watching your weight for the holidays and shopping for and taking care of others. Rather than focus on worrying about weight at a time of joyful gatherings centering on food and meeting the expectations of others, why not celebrate yourself for a year-long effort toward your goals? Your celebration can include incorporating wellness and self-care into your lifestyle.
Here are some basic tips to help ease the stress of the holidays and maintain calm and balance throughout the New Year:
The importance of “Me” time
Start with customizing an individualized wellness plan. Set gentle goals for improving your physical health and fitness, enhancing mental clarity, and changing thinking patterns and negative emotions. Be sure to incorporate self-care and “me” time by simply setting aside time for relaxing instead of always doing things for others or working.
Incorporate physical activity and good nutrition into the plan. Create an exercise routine and start small, whether it is walking 20 minutes a day or working out at home with a yoga class. Even 10 or 15 minutes of stretching will be restorative for you. Try to eat healthier by incorporating clean eating recipes into daily meals and choosing fresh, nutrient-rich food products.
Pay attention to emotional and mental health by setting aside 15 minutes a day to meditate to calm your mind and reduce stress. Start your day by noting three things to be grateful for, and spend a few minutes writing down what truly makes you happy and brings you joy. Spend time in nature. Listen to music. Each of these
activities will lift your spirit and help to change the energy within your body. If you’re unable to be outside, at least gaze out a window and allow your mind a moment of peace.
Add Crystal Therapy to the Mix
I personally like incorporating earth stones and crystals into my wellness routine any time of the year and especially at holiday time. These stones are cherished gifts from our beautiful planet Earth, each with its own special vibration to help restore harmony, peace and positive energy, which is exactly what is needed during stressful times. For example, Selenite is said to be a powerful crystal that promotes peace and calm, mental clarity, and well-being, and helps to clear energy blockages. Rose Quartz is associated with emotional healing, self-compassion and love for self and those around us—a perfect stone for easing the stress of the holidays. Tiger Eye invites us to step into our own light, and encourages vitality, inner strength, and self-assuredness. Citrine enhances creativity and supports the manifestation of our desires—be it hosting the perfect holiday gathering, or just staying in our peace throughout the season. Sitting quietly and holding the stones while taking a few slow, deep breaths will connect you to their energy and raise your vibration.
However you spend your holiday season, be sure to make time to celebrate, honor, and cherish yourself—even if for just a few minutes each day. The wellness reward of peace and tranquility in this busy season will be well worth it. Happy Holidays!
Kathryn D. Leary is Co-Founder and CEO of OneFirelight, an online, on-demand wellness platform created to bring a mind, body, spirit modality to the fitness space and inspire fun workouts. OneFirelight combines the restorative effects of yoga practice, strength building of cardio/kickboxing, healing of sound meditation, and joyfulness of dance, filmed in nature, and set to the licensed soul-nurturing music and unifying expressions of Bob Marley, grandson Skip Marley, and other great artists. Visit us at OneFirelight.com and on social media @onefirelight.
