by Mishra Keller - professional Chicago nutritionist and owner of Nutrisults
The holidays can be a stressful time. Since negative stress is one of the leading causes of disease, minimizing stress is one of the keys to good health. Check out these top 5 tips for reducing negative stress, and having a happy, healthful holiday season!
1. Be grateful
The December holiday season is the time of year for us to honor the acts of giving and receiving. It is also a great time to continue the spirit of the Thanksgiving holidays by taking stock of all the things that we’re grateful for in our lives. Bringing attention to these things can dramatically change your health for the better by relieving stress, giving you a better outlook on life and allowing more space for you to give and receive abundantly. This month, before you get out of bed in the morning, try taking some time to write down 10 things that you are grateful for from the day before. It will set you off to a great start to your day!
2. Enjoy family and friends
Family gatherings can’t always look like a Norman Rockwell painting. As much as we love our relatives, spending time with them can be stressful at times. Sometimes it even feels like certain people are sucking out our energy like an energy vampire! However, these people are in our lives for a reason, and it’s usually to teach us something about ourselves. This year, if you start to feel stressed during family gatherings, try to find a way to feel some gratitude for having those challenging relationships in your life. Take a few minutes before hand to do some deep breathing or meditation to get centered. You can also try your best to minimize the time spent with those who stress you the most. Remember to keep a sense of humor and try not to take yourself or your relatives too seriously!
3. Delegate your holiday party potluck treats
We live in a very fast paced world. With so many day-to-day obligations, it’s difficult to find time to slow down during the holidays so that we can enjoy time with our family and friends. Then we add insult to injury by setting the expectation for ourselves to make treats for potluck style holiday parties from scratch! If you don’t have the desire to carve out time to joyfully and lovingly make a food items for a holiday party, give yourself permission to delegate. Visit your local bakery or market for some fresh, locally made food items that you can use instead. The point of the party is to get together and enjoy each other’s company. Delegate to de-stress and have fun!
4. Choose your favorite dishes and enjoy every bite
If you do choose to prepare food yourself, don’t be afraid to prepare your favorite dishes - even if you think that they’re not so healthy. We know that we shouldn’t engorge ourselves everyday on foods made from ingredients that aren’t very healthful, but the holidays are a time to celebrate and enjoy a few treats! This is the time to break out those favorite family recipes that bring back fond, happy memories that make us feel good. The trick is when you prepare these dishes, do so with love and enjoy every minute of the experience. There’s nothing worse than sitting down with your favorite piece of holiday cake and then feeling guilty about it the whole time you’re eating it! Life is too short to not make space for the things that make us feel good.
5. The majority rules
Follow the 90/10 rule – 90% of the time, fill your diet with healthful, nutritious foods. 10% of the time, eat whatever you want! During your holiday celebrations, don’t stress so much if there are foods on the menu that you like but wouldn’t normally eat. When you sit down at the table, eat until you’re satisfied, then stop. Don’t deprive yourself. It will only make you feel worse and cause to over do it in some other area of your life. So enjoy a holiday cookie. Don’t sweat it. You can get back on track the next day!
Mishra H. Keller, CHHC, Owner
www.nutrisults.com
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