The time for celebration, family, connection and holidays… AND Tis the Season to stay in Homeostasis!
Our calendars are full and we are on a continual social schedule. It’s fun, exciting and brings much joy.. However for some, the joyful season can also bring increased levels of stress, anxiety and worry.
This time of year can create a lot of upheaval… the constant bleed of energy and pleasing others, or your calendar is so booked that it feels overwhelming. Maybe you didn’t reach your ‘goals’ for the year. Maybe you’re suffering from financial burden, with feelings of sluggishness or burn out. You may have relationship upheaval, dysfunctional family dynamics. Health concerns… Whatever sensations you’re experiencing, are completely ‘normal’ and valid for you in this moment!
Society has conditioned this expectation to withhold a certain level of ‘perfectionism’ around this time. Everything should be high energy, happy, romantic and bring the family together. This may be the ‘expectation’, but you have the choice to alchemise your reality in a healthy harmonious manner.
Wellbeing (the good holistic type!) doesn’t necessarily mean being happy and joyous 24/7. Emotional and Mental Wellbeing is having the ability to feel your sensations, whether they’re comfortable or uncomfortable, and giving yourself space to allow compassion and acceptance for whatever it is you’re experiencing. In simpler terms, if you’re feeling happy, allow yourself to be happy! If you’re feeling overwhelmed, allow yourself to feel that sensation. There is no right or wrong, good or bad, there’s only the honouring of your own current circumstances and truth.
Whatever sensations you’re experiencing, are completely ‘normal’ and valid for you in this moment!
When we have the expectations to “keep it all together” and don’t feel like we are meeting them, it can often exacerbate feelings of shame and guilt on top of an already stressed internal environment. The result is inevitably more upheaval and dysregulation to your nervous system and mental health. With judgment comes punishment. So whenever we have any judgment towards ourselves or another, we create punishment. We either punish ourselves or we punish someone close to us. Precisely NOT what Santa would wish upon us 😉
In a world that is already experiencing such division and upheaval, we want to find positive habits to reduce the perceived pressure, high expectations, or stressful external environments. We should always give ourselves permission to feel these sensations, however we want to make sure we are building healthy holistic habits to support our nervous system!
So how can we stay in a state of homeostasis this holiday season?
- ACCEPTANCE – Firstly, we need to accept exactly where we are, even if it’s not where you thought you would be. This ancient notion of accept all reject none is a term that for some of us, is so hard to comprehend. However, I invite you to sit with this for a moment..
When we start to accept where we are, we begin to ease resistance. The fighting and pushing diminishes and we are left with what is. Don’t get me wrong this is not an easy thing to do! It takes deep courage and vulnerability. If we can give ourselves permission to lean into this act of acceptance a little more you will notice the space you open up for yourself.
- SPACE – Allow time for you to have your own space. Whether this is your 20 minute morning routine or a nature walk by yourself in the afternoon. Be sure to put yourself in your calendar, even if it’s 10 minutes a day. Especially over the festive season! When we give ourselves space away from distractions, we allow our nervous system to regulate. We drop into this rest and digest state where our cells replenish, rejuvenate and heal.
- HYDRATE – Hydration is key for an optimal bodily function. We are made up of around 80% water. When we are indulging in things like alcohol and rich foods it dehydrates our body which then results in excess stress on our system. Hydration is a MUST! At Least 2L of water daily as a minimum.
- SLEEP – Sleep is essential for our nervous system. Getting an adequate amount of sleep will help your body replenish and restore bodily cells and systems. The result – more energy, clarity, confidence throughout your day. So take those siestas often over the holiday break!
- SET BOUNDARIES – Christmas brings a lot of festivities and sometimes you need to set strong boundaries. I invite you to be realistic about what you can do and what you have space for. Sometimes that means saying no.. and that is completely ok.
- GRATITUDE – Practicing gratitude daily enhances our bodies ability to experience joy and connection. When we feel grateful our body literally ‘opens up’, it brings us out of our tunnel vision and into the bigger picture. Reduce stress and ease tension over this break.
- CONNECTION – Surround yourself with people that pick you up! Surrounding yourself with people that pick your energy up rather than draining your energy will enhance your capacity to stay regulated in homeostasis. Spend time and connect with nature. When we spend time in nature our nervous system automatically calms down, we come back into our body and feel connected and abundant.
- NOURISH – Nourishing your body. Before you do anything ask yourself, ‘Is this going to nourish my body?’. Having that devotion to nourish your body whatever that looks like for you helps to ease any tension, guilt or shame you might have around foods, people, events etc.
- COMPASSION – Have compassion and love towards yourself and others. Any judgment only brings stress and upheaval to our nervous system. Practice compassion towards self, we are our own worst enemies most of the time! Ask yourself the question, “How can you become friends with yourself?”. Also have compassion for others, you never know what someone is going through, be compassionate and approach with love.
- JOY – Give yourself permission to have fun! After all it has been such a big year so celebrate your wins and bring joy into your life over the holidays.