It can be exciting to get caught up in the holiday hustle and bustle of shopping, events, parties and family obligations. But it’s not unusual to end the season feeling more rundown than before. In fact, according to Sarah Hamid-Balma, director, mental health promotion, with the Canadian Mental Health Association in Vancouver, the holidays often trigger mental-health issues.
Hamid-Balma says the root of the problem is emotional overload. “Some stress gives us energy and initiative,” she says. “But when it becomes more than we can cope with, it becomes harmful.”
That’s why it’s essential to learn how to prevent burnout by embracing so-called “me” time: time spent away from the pressures of the season and doing something that it is rejuvenating.
Skating with a friend falls into this category. Such social and physical activities can be great for reducing emotional stress, according to Louise Veres, a life coach with Living Your Best in Oakville, Ont.
The key to reaping the full benefits of “me” time is the meditative approach to calming anxiety, sometimes known as “mindfulness.” This approach, which has been around for centuries in one form or another, recently has been rethought for modern users looking for ways to reduce chronic anxiety and stress.
Sandy Kiaizadeh, counsellor at the Mindful Solutions Clinic in Toronto, says there’s a misconception that mindfulness is about emptying your brain of all thoughts – an idea sometimes associated with meditation.
“That’s just not possible,” she says, adding that we have 60,000 thoughts a day on average. Instead, mindfulness is about being fully in the present, thus reducing the anxiety caused by worrying too much about the future or past events and missteps.
Mindfulness is not easy to achieve, given our culture’s emphasis on multi-tasking, but research shows that people who practise mindfulness show long-term benefits. Functional brain imaging (via an fMRI) studies indicate that the brain lights up differently in longtime meditators. The result: an improved ability to handle stress.
Give yourself the gift of mindfulness this year with these tips:
– Review your wants and needs
Too often, people let expectations about the holidays drag them down. “We don’t want to just slip into the habit,” Hamid-Balma says, “of what we did the year before or what we think should be done because our friends do it.”
Carefully reviewing what you want out of the holidays and promising to make at least one change this year can force you to be more mindful.
– Voice it
Expressing what’s important to you can help to sustain a more mindful approach to the season, Veres says. “Instead of thinking: ‘I never get time to myself,’ you’ve taken action,” she says. It’s the internal dialogue that can make you feel overwhelmed. “There are lots of things we think we want to do,” she adds. “But if we don’t say them out loud, it’s probably not going to happen. And then we get resentful.”
– Meditate
Meditation doesn’t require lots of time, a special cushion or a quiet, darkened room. Taking three minutes to sit in a chair and focus on your breathing and body sensations is a great way to ease your stress, says Kiaizadeh. She suggests choosing an anchor on which to focus – such as your breathing – then redirecting your mind back to the breath each time a thought tries to squeeze in.
Even just closing your eyes for a few moments, says Veres, can recharge your batteries and bring down your blood pressure and stress levels.
“You’re not the hamster on the wheel,” she says. “You have stopped yourself from doing anything further. That activity in itself is totally rejuvenating.”
– Use mindfulness in everyday activities
During meditation, you are training your brain to take an observer stance regarding your thoughts rather than permitting them to overwhelm you.
But this practice, Kiaizadeh says, can be extended to everyday activities, such as brushing your teeth or driving: “Get into the habit of doing something each day so you don’t fall off the wagon.”
Veres suggests simple activities such as listening to music or going for a walk: “When you’re mindful and present, you’re not worried about the future and what you need to do or [about] the past. You’re in the moment; you’re better able to relax.”
– Don’t confuse self-care with self-indulgence
During the holiday season, some of us tend to overdo it with alcohol, sweets and unhealthy foods because of the upswing in social events and lack of time to prepare meals.
Although the goal of mindfulness is living in the moment, that doesn’t mean you should indulge in the very things that make you more lethargic and less likely to exercise or even go outside. Go easy on the treats of the season so that you can enjoy them without the detrimental effects.
– Embrace spontaneity
Although experts recommend you plan for “me” time during your days, no one wants to be overscheduled.
Veres suggests you leave empty spaces in your calendar to enjoy unexpected pleasures during the season: “Take advantage of being spontaneous. If all you do is sit at home and read a book, so be it.”
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