Here we go again…Christmas music is on the radio, the calendar is filling up, traffic is getting noticeably worse and it’s only November! How are we going to get through another holiday season and maintain our serenity and unflappable grace? If you’re like me, you want to book a 3 week trip to a remote island. No, make that 5 weeks. I’d leave the day after Thanksgiving, someone else would do the dishes, and I’d come back home all tan and relaxed (and skinny from NO HOLIDAY FOOD, because there aren’t any rum balls on remote islands) on New Year’s Day to a clean house and no sign of holiday decor, anywhere.
Now, back to reality. Sigh.
Not that the holidays are all bad. I begrudgingly agree that they can be fun, if you have a sane family and some rich friends that throw amazing parties. Oh, I know, then there’s the whole joy of giving and fellowship and thankfulness part. And some people even like shopping for gifts! But for the rest of us, what can you do to minimize the stress?
#1 Take time for yourself: Say no to at least one holiday party and get a massage or take a bath instead.
#2 Get enough rest: Be a “sleep scrooge” and don’t let anyone disturb you. You are insanely beautiful, and you need your beauty sleep.
#3 Eat well: Not too much, and not “holiday food”, but real, living food that you have to wash in the sink and cut up. Use the time it takes to meditate on how grateful you are to know how to take care of yourself. And while you’re at it, drink some pure, filtered water.
#4 Supplement: We can’t eat well ALL the time, and some well-chosen nutraceuticals can be an essential bio-hack. I recommend Magnesium (citrate or glycinate) 200 mg twice daily for the calming effect. Over 325 enzymatic processes in the body require magnesium, and the average person gets about half of what they need! Leg cramps, anyone? A powder form like Natural Vitality Natural Calm is a nice way to end the day mixed in warm water before bed. Second, a high quality B-complex because stress (and coffee, and alcohol…) deplete your stores pretty quickly. Thirdly, make sure you are not Vitamin D deficient. It can wreck you! Take 5000 units of vitamin D3 every day.
#5 Exercise: Get some joyful movement into your day, whether it’s a yoga class, a walk with a friend, or turning up the music and cleaning house really really well. I try to schedule my workouts like appointments, but that all goes to hell when I get too busy. Forgive yourself, and then get busy being active again as soon as possible. It’s your body, and no one’s gonna love it like you can.
Peace,
KB
Original post here: http://functionalbeautymd.com/2014/11/