Fitness Friday - Beat Stress During the Holiday Season

Stress and the holidays go hand-in-hand. There’s shopping, cooking, baking, cleaning, decorating, wrapping and socializing. This year the socializing piece is out, but that doesn’t discount the stress of the holiday season. And this doesn’t include work pressures such as year-end or deadlines to complete projects. To get through this season you need to nurture yourself.

Practice Daily Meditation, Positive Affirmations and Gratefulness

Our lives are filled with noise, interruptions, and stimulation coming at us from every angle. The sounds of the city, traffic and emergency vehicles, TV, video games and beeps from texts. And that doesn’t include the visual interruptions from computers, electronic devices and phones.

Taking time every day to sit or lie down quietly and practice meditation gives your brain a break from constant stimulation. Meditation is the practice of stilling the mind by simple repetitive sensations or affirmations that relax the mind. It can include focused breathing, repetitive positive affirmations, or visualizations such as waves rolling up on a beach. Meditation has so many benefits including focusing your mind, allowing you to control your response to stressful situations and can leave you in a more positive mindset.

Start with a basic short meditation:

1.       Sit or lie quietly with your hands and feet relaxed. Cover yourself with a blanket

2.       Gently close your eyes

3.       Begin by taking a few deep breaths through your nose and continue with four inhalations and exhalations

4.       Now try breathing through your nose and holding for four counts and then exhaling for four counts. Repeat four times

5.       Be present and release your thoughts, worries and to-dos. Let your breathing return to normal and visualize stress leaving your body, let go of tension

6.       Allow yourself to come back to a calm state

This is a starting point and can be beneficial to do throughout the day two or three times to centre yourself when you are under stress.

From here, you can google meditations, download meditation apps or pick up a book. The benefits are endless but it does take commitment and regular practice.

When stress is backing you into a corner, practice positive affirmations each morning. Write down simple affirmations such as “I am enough” “This too shall pass” and, “I am supported.” When your day is wrapping up, write down what you’re grateful for. This practice takes only a few minutes. Jot down simple things such as, “I am grateful for having kind friends” “I am grateful for daily walks in my community” and, “I am grateful for being able to give my dog a belly rub each day.”  Practicing positive affirmations and gratefulness can give you a new perspective on life and lower stress levels.

Enjoy some Downtime and Relax

Look in the mirror and determine if action is required. You may be taking too much on. Be aware if you take too much on. I mean, who needs to bake five different cookies to celebrate the holidays? Instead bake one or two of your favourites and use your spare time to do just that - take some down time. Read a good book, sit by your favourite holiday tree, or enjoy time alone with a hot cup of tea.

We all need some time to restore our body, relax our mind and rejuvenate our soul. That doesn’t mean plunking yourself in front of the television, it means doing something to settle your mind and to be in the moment without a to-do list. Remember this stressful time will pass!

About Kimberly Hicks-Ruttan
I am a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer with more than 30 years of experience and loving every minute of it. My philosophy on fitness is making classes fun, challenging, and full of variety. Today, I am passionate about short, intense workouts called Tabata, as well as yoga and I love paddle boarding and skiing.
Connect with her online here.