“How are you taking care of yourself?”
The past week or so has been filled with highly stressful
situations. I think the holiday season raises everyone’s stress level up a few
notches. At every turn I was right in the middle of a crisis of sorts and
seemed to handle these situations, for the most part okay. I was speaking with
someone about some of these situations and they asked. “how are you taking care
of yourself?”. I had to pause for a moment and feel the weight of all this stress
on me. How am I taking care of myself? I have been drawing more, listening to
music, spending more time with my family (I even played a pick game of
basketball yesterday with my son and his friends). A quick google search of “dealing
with holiday stress” immediately returned 2.4 million results. The Mayo Clinic
has this advice “Stress, depression and the holidays: Tips for coping”
1.Acknowledge your feelings. If someone close to you has
recently died or you can't be with loved ones, realize that it's normal to feel
sadness and grief. It's OK to take time to cry or express your feelings. You
can't force yourself to be happy just because it's the holiday season.
2.Reach out. If you
feel lonely or isolated, seek out community, religious or other social events.
They can offer support and companionship. Volunteering your time to help others
also is a good way to lift your spirits and broaden your friendships.
3.Be realistic. The
holidays don't have to be perfect or just like last year. As families change
and grow, traditions and rituals often change as well. Choose a few to hold on
to, and be open to creating new ones. For example, if your adult children can't
come to your house, find new ways to celebrate together, such as sharing
pictures, emails or videos.
4.Set aside
differences. Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they
don't live up to all of your expectations. Set aside grievances until a more
appropriate time for discussion. And be understanding if others get upset or
distressed when something goes awry. Chances are they're feeling the effects of
holiday stress and depression, too.
5.Stick to a budget.
Before you go gift and food shopping, decide how much money you can afford to
spend. Then stick to your budget. Don't try to buy happiness with an avalanche
of gifts. Try these alternatives: Donate to a charity in someone's name, give
homemade gifts or start a family gift exchange.
6.Plan ahead. Set
aside specific days for shopping, baking, visiting friends and other
activities. Plan your menus and then make your shopping list. That'll help
prevent last-minute scrambling to buy forgotten ingredients. And make sure to
line up help for party prep and cleanup.
7.Learn to say no.
Saying yes when you should say no can leave you feeling resentful and
overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can't participate in
every project or activity. If it's not possible to say no when your boss asks
you to work overtime, try to remove something else from your agenda to make up
for the lost time.
8.Don't abandon healthy habits. Don't let the holidays
become a free-for-all. Overindulgence only adds to your stress and guilt. Have
a healthy snack before holiday parties so that you don't go overboard on
sweets, cheese or drinks. Continue to get plenty of sleep and physical
activity.
9.Take a breather.
Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without
distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Take
a walk at night and stargaze. Listen to soothing music. Find something that
reduces stress by clearing your mind, slowing your breathing and restoring
inner calm.
10.Seek professional
help if you need it. Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself feeling
persistently sad or anxious, plagued by physical complaints, unable to sleep,
irritable and hopeless, and unable to face routine chores. If these feelings
last for a while, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.
You can find the complete article at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030
I am working on taking care of myself, I hope you are also!
Remember…this too shall pass. B
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