by Dr. Donna L. Hamilton, MD, MS
Do tension and stress somehow manage to sneak into your holiday excitement? If so, you’re not alone. These uninvited guests often challenge the best laid wellness plans. Even if you’re having fun, adding extra activities and commitments to an already full plate can be stressful. Having an effective wellness strategy is essential for staying healthy during the holidays and for staying on track during your quest for optimal health. In the midst of all the holiday hustle and bustle it’s important to remember to take care of yourself.
The idea of self-care makes some people cringe, but it’s the key to maintaining personal health and wellness. Often mistaken for selfishness or neglecting others, self-care is really an act of love. Everyone depending on you benefits when you first take care of yourself.
Being healthy and relaxed makes it easier for you to accomplish all the wonderful things you want to do for family and friends. After all, it’s tough to shop, decorate or cook when you feel run down, have a cold, or feel too cranky to care!
Don’t worry if the thought of adding one more commitment to your to-do list makes you want to scream: Self-care can be easy and inexpensive. Gradually doing simple things can significantly boost your personal wellness. Here are 8 easy and inexpensive self-care tips to help boost personal wellness during the holiday season:
1) Breathe: Take deep, centering breaths throughout the day. They will help relax your body and mind.
2) Know your priorities: Remembering what’s most important to you can help overcome feelings of overwhelm. If there isn’t enough time to satisfy all the holiday demands, accomplishing the most important things can create inner peace.
3) Give from a full cup: You can’t take care of others if you’re sick or burned out. Be sure to do something nourishes and uplifts you. That can be as simple as luxuriating over a cup of hot chocolate or as fantastic as getting a massage.
4) Listen to your body: Many people have gotten used to ignoring or overriding their body’s signals. Your body might be able to tolerate this neglect under normal circumstance, but adding the increased stress of the holiday season might be more than it can take. To increase your chance of staying healthy during the holidays listen to your body. For example, if you feel hungry, take time to eat. If you’re sleepy, start getting enough sleep.
5) Have some fun: Humor is great for stress reduction. Do something that makes you laugh. Need some ideas? Try watching a funny movie, singing and dancing to fun music, or tell silly jokes.
6) Listen to calming music: Soothing music helps the body relax. Nature sounds can also help reduce stress.
7) Take a holistic health approach: Self-care means paying attention to more than just how much you eat or exercise. It also requires paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, expectations, and interactions. Remember: optimal health means functioning at your best in all areas of your life, not just in your body.
8) Create new, self-supportive traditions: If trying to do things “the way they were always done” is creating more stress than joy, take a step back and figure out a new approach. Maybe your new idea will become the next family tradition. Traditions have to start somewhere!
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Holistic Wellness Speaker Donna L. Hamilton, MD, MS, FAAP is a former board-certified pediatrician residing in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She is Chief Wellness Officer and co-owner of Manifest Excellence, LLC. Dr. Hamilton specializes in holistic wellness promotion and speaks nationally on this topic. Her company Manifest Excellence teaches a comprehensive approach to health and wellness by addressing mental, emotional, social, spiritual and physical wellbeing. For more information visit www.ManifestExcellence.com
© 2010 Donna L. Hamilton, MD
A wellness thought leader, she champions a comprehensive approach to health by addressing mental, emotional, social, spiritual & physical well-being with a simple and potent message. Her book Wellness Your Way offers a practical strategy to assist readers in creating a happier, healthier life. For more information or to book Dr. Hamilton for speaking engagements visit www.ManifestExcellence.com or www.DonnaHamiltonMD.com
- 10 Quick, Easy Holiday Self-Care Tips - December 15, 2017
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- Why Self-Care is Good for Your Health - May 10, 2017
