Winter Zen

 

With roughly 14 major holidays being celebrated between November 22nd, and January 6th, it should come as no surprise to anyone that this time of year is one of the most stress-inducing times of the year.  Heck, sometimes just getting out the holiday decorations can be stressful. First you have to locate them. Next, there is the light-untangling process. Then comes the ornaments, lawn decorations (if you use them), house decorations (if you use them), stockings to be hung, presents to be wrapped, ornaments to be hung, meals to plan out, holiday desserts to prepare and make, shopping for all of the above, and how did the cat manage to get the tree topper off....again? Now, top all of this with your job, keeping everyone as healthy as possible, the weather, travel conditions, the kids being out of school for their winter/holiday break, and trying to somehow manage to get more than 4 hours of sleep on any given night, and well...this is a recipe for a stress-induced disaster. 

     You need to try and remember that even the happiest of times can bring on incredible stress, which is never a good, nor a happy, thing. Weddings, new babies, holiday celebrations, graduations, promotions...these are all really good things, but also things that can cause a near insane level of stress in a person. When things start getting to be too much, you absolutely need to take a step back, and just breathe. I promise you, the world will not stop spinning if you take 1 hour to yourself. To that end, everyone else can just learn to deal with the fact that you may just need to take some time to regroup, rejuvenate and refresh yourself. Don't worry about them. They can handle it. If they can't then perhaps they too need to take an hour to themselves, and for the very same reason. Otherwise, they can just learn to cope for 1 hour without you. 

    Take the hot bath. Listen to music that calms you. Take that time to meditate, stretch, relax, nap, do some Yoga, or read. Whatever it is that makes you relax...do that. Relaxation techniques are vital, especially during this time of the year. Stress related illnesses are known to be at least 42% higher during this time of the year, so it is very important that you learn to read your own body's warning signs that you may be starting to get stressed out, and need to take a step back to rejuvenate your energies.  Learn to start taking proper care of yourself, so that you can be the best you possible. Even if that means sitting alone, curled up in a warm blanket, doing nothing for an hour....if it relaxes you, do it. There is no need to feel concerned about anyone at that point. Doing nothing to help relieve the stress could potentially have far worse consequences, than taking 1 hour out of your day for yourself. I'm also not referring to your regular sleeping schedule. I'm talking about taking 1 hour, during your day, to do whatever it is that helps you completely relax, and regain some of that spent energy.

     This advice does not just apply to those people who work outside of the home. It applies to everyone, including children. We all know that children get excited about the holidays. They get to enjoy many treats that are otherwise unavailable. They get to visit with relatives that they may not see often. They get a break from having to go to school. For those that live in colder areas, they get to go play in the snow, and enjoy outdoor Winter activities. Believe it or not, these things can also be very stressful for them, just as they are for adults. For the children in your life, make sure that you are able to recognize their natural warning signs that they may be getting stressed out, and need to relax. When it comes to children, however, having them curl up with a good book, or resting with a warm cup of hot tea, may not be what helps them relax. Figure out what helps your child calm down naturally, so they too can feel rejuvenated, and refreshed.

  There are dozens of ways to help keep yourself in that 'zen' state of mind. Just figure out which ones work for you, and go from there. No two people are the same, so what works for you, may not work for someone else. There is no magic formula for relaxing. What relaxes you may be akin to nails on a chalkboard to the next person. You do you, and stop worrying about what everyone else does. Without self-care, you will not be able to continue to function properly to get through each day. Just as it is with anything else, if you take care of it, it will last longer. So, take care of you, and don't pay any attention to the cat trying to figure out how to attack the tree topper...again. Just....relax.