Post Seasonal Guide to Happiness and Health

After all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season from family coming in, buying and wrapping presents, and everything else you have on your plate, you may be burned out and in need of a breather. In an article on stress relief, helpguide.org states, “you need to activate your body’s natural relaxation response, a state of deep rest that puts the brakes on stress, slows your breathing and heart rate, lowers your blood pressure, and brings your body and mind back into balance.” (Lawrence Robinson, Robert Segal, Jeanne Segal, and Melinda Smith). You may not know where to start, but by doing the actions in this guide you mind and body will thank you.

Eat Clean

The holiday season is full of Thanksgiving parties and Christmas parties from work, school, home, and friends. In a study by Herbalife Nutrition, out of 2,000 adults, 45% planned on holding off eating healthier till the following year and indulge instead. Herbalife Nutrition added that the average American gains 6 pounds from eating holiday foods. After the holidays is a good time to eat whole, nutritious foods that will help detox your body from the season along with drinking plenty of water. 

Studies show that even mild dehydration can negatively affect performance. If you’ve gained weight over the season you’d be happy to know that one study showed that “dieters who drank 17 ounces (500 ml) of water before each meal lost 44% more weight over 12 weeks, compared to those who didn’t.” (Kris Gunnars). If you are curious, there are several websites that share how many ounces you should drink according to your weight, height, age, and other factors. But on average, a healthy amount of water to drink is about 2 liters. By sticking to some healthy habits and eat and drink clean, your body will flourish.

If you want to make healthy change but don’t have the motivation to make a lifestyle change, maybe try to do your best for just 2 weeks or 30 days. If you stick to a healthy lifestyle for that time and you’re happy with it you can choose to continue after the time or return to your comforts, but it is definitely worth a try.

Take A Minute To Yourself

It is highly important for one to take some time to oneself if you’ve been surrounded by family and friends for a long time–introverts and extroverts both. This can consist of a multitude of things depending on the person. For some, watching movies and tv shows, make the person happy and can restore their mind to it’s better self. Baking, doing yoga, sewing, running, playing sports, dancing or you name it can restore yourself.

“I sit down with my dogs, eat any leftover chocolate, and watch The Office” Katie Hutchison (10) states.

Along with these, you should take a few minutes to try some relaxation techniques. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be stressed, these can still be beneficial. Some of these techniques include deep breathing. Try, right now, breath in for 7 seconds, hold for 5 seconds and exhale for 10 seconds. Try doing 5 of these and remember to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth all with good posture. Another relaxation technique is visualization. Think of your happy place, or sitting in a cabin porch on a tranquil mountain, or a sunny beach all to yourself. While doing this, try listening to nature ambience/noise. The last one I will list is a self massage or going to a massage therapist. You probably know that massages can be beneficial so why not go out, or stay in, and do one! By kneading your shoulders and neck, or laying your back or feet a tennis ball and rolling it around, or going out to a massage expert, you can help reduce stress, relieve pain, and ease muscle tension. In the end, taking some time to yourself to make you feel even better is something you should do this season.

Exercise

Everyone has heard how good exercise is for you and it should be no surprise that it is on the list. It helps control weight, reduce stress, release endorphins which elevate mood, raise confidence and many more. Exercise can take many forms. Many people go to the gym on their own and use the provided space and machinery. Others take yoga, pilates, or stretching classes. Some find jogging groups, and some work out in the comfort of their home. Other forms of exercise are in the various different sports out there. By involving yourself in a sport near you, you can have fun, and help you body. This step can be very difficult for many but is worth the effort in the long run. Sure, you won’t see results in one day but with time you’ll find a joy in the movement.

With this information, you have no excuse to make a change, whether big or small, to not only recover from the season, but thrive. You can try one of these points and intigrade other points in, or go all in as a trial period. Whatever you do, stick with it! You got it!

Sources:

https://www.studyfinds.org/average-american-gains-six-pounds-during-holiday-season/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-water-should-you-drink-per-day

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/relaxation-techniques-for-stress-relief.htm