Prepping for the Holidays with Mind/Body Thriving Strategies

As we approach this holiday season, it is common to experience a heightened level of stress and trepidation regarding all that is added to our schedules and to-do lists; however, sometimes the greatest source of difficulty involves people. The thought of gathering with groups of people who may be connected to some past pain and suffering can create concern ahead of the event and general strain in the actual event. Additionally, in times of group celebration, we can become more acutely aware of those people who have gone before us and are no longer here to love in person. Grief can be considered a form that love takes when we can no longer share it with a loved one; this grief can be magnified during annual holiday events.

We do know that there are an array of coping skills and countermeasures that we can take before, during, and after high-stress experiences that help to mitigate the effects of the heightened strain. Movement in the form of moderate-level continuous activity, such as walking, douses us with feel-good hormones that are literal mood elevators mirroring the effects of anxiety medications. Beginning a regular movement schedule now will prepare your mind and your body for changes in schedule and taxing situations. Movement can produce a sense of physical strength that can inform emotional strength while also providing a great form of recovery after something that is tension-inducing.

Finding things to be grateful for is a form of brain training and a powerful countermeasure to challenging experiences. Gratitude practice can rewire how we approach our current moment and experiences moving our thoughts and awareness towards the positives, even to something as simple as an affirming smile from another. We can move our thoughts towards focusing on the blessings and this can reduce the impact and focus on the less-than-pleasant stimuli.   Starting a gratitude practice through which you identify three new people, places or things that bless your life daily, is a great way to create those new neural pathways in your brain (ready to then be activated on the fly).  Similarly, we can move our mind toward forgiveness concerning people who have caused us harm, and in so doing we free ourselves from the burden of carrying that volume of pain. Science tells us that people who can forgive (not necessarily forget), recover more quickly from illness, have lower stress responses, and can experience more joy as a result.

Acts of service are another coping practice that increases feel-good hormones (sometimes referred to as a helper’s high), optimism, and social connection—all of which improve our well-being. It may appear that doing for another increases stress, but the research shows those who serve others live longer, enjoy improved immune function, and can experience an elevated mood. During the holidays there may be increased opportunities to serve those who are less fortunate—the irony is that it will help us too.  Extending self-compassion to oneself—being gracious and kind to ourselves when we suffer or feel inadequate—can be our self-care act of service during times of difficulty that results in reduced anxiety and depression. People with higher levels of self-compassion are more resilient, can recover from adversity more readily, and may experience the sting of failure less fatally.

We can enhance our ability to manage, and beyond that enjoy, the upside of the approaching holiday season by adopting thriving strategies now.  Dealing with the challenges we face during the holidays, and throughout the year, with kindness, compassion and self-care can bolster our ability to be present with the blessings in this crazy thing called life—one thing is for sure, you don’t want to miss a day!