5 Tips for Managing Holiday Stress

holly, winter, snow , berries

The holidays can be the most wonderful time and the most stressful time of the year.

The pandemic has made that all the more real.  Taking care of yourself first is the only way to ensure that you can take care of everything else.  So before you wrap all your gifts or plan the amazing holiday feast, here are 5 things to help you get back to you.

Take time for yourself.

Even though it seems like we are isolated and alone right now, so much of that time is still not spent on ourselves.  For example, working remotely you may be alone.  That doesn’t mean you’re giving yourself the attention you need.  Whether it’s going for a walk by yourself to get some sunshine or reading a book you’ve wanted to get into, take a few moments each day to just be with yourself.

Turn off the electronics.

So much of our days are spent on our phones, computers, or in front of the TV.  With so much media coming at us all the time, it can be hard to get to quiet spaces in our minds.  Turning off the electronics and coming down from the electricity/media circus helps us relax.

Take a nap.

Sleep is so important for a balanced life.  When we don’t get enough sleep, it can lead to a myriad of other health issues.  It also makes it harder to get through our every day because of things like brain fog.  Our days can be so packed we don’t think we have time for a nap.  Sometimes, that short nap can be the difference between clear thinking and forgetting everything on our lists.

Do a random act of kindness.

When we are isolated from our community, it’s hard to know what specific needs our friends, neighbors, and family have.  Since we aren’t seeing people regularly, those usual check ins aren’t happening.  Does your neighbor need their walkway shoveled or their garbage bins taken to the street? Can you give $10 to the local food bank? Can you send someone a “thinking of you” note or card?  I always feel better when I see how a simple give makes someone’s day.

Go make a snow angel.

For a moment, you go back to the innocence and wonder of being a child. It reminds you what the world is like without stress, worry, and anxiety.  The sensation of cold snow on your skin takes you to snow days, sledding, snowmen, snowballs, and play.  Go ahead.  Go play in the snow.

We care about you.  You are important.

Things I’ve learned while recovering from surgery

Friends, arms around each other, diversity

I had to take a social media break.

It’s good to be back! I’m not at full capacity yet but I’m getting there. I took a break because I had a hysterectomy. Yay! I no longer have a uterus causing me pain!

Here are a few things I learned over the last couple weeks. I am so grateful for friends. I had my surgery and then a week later, Denise had her surgery. Without friends to come and check on us, bring us food, and visit us, we would have a lot harder time. I don’t usually ask for people to help but one thing I learned from Edwene Gaines is that in order to be a good giver, you must also be a good receiver. So, I asked for help and we had people jump in.

I’m grateful for a 17 year old that can drive and was able to help us run some errands and help us with Darrin. Sydney really stepped up the last three weeks. She did it and she was kind and compassionate about it. I am so impressed with how much work Denise has done so the kids are decent human beings.

I learned there’s no reason to push it. Bottom line, I spent the first week completely exhausted and unable to do anything but sleep and eat. I would try to do a simple task, like wash the dishes, and end up in pain and sleeping the rest of the day. Denise brought up that I’m impeding my own healing by trying to push beyond what my body is ready to do. Right now, I’m starting to feel better and want to go and do a bunch but I am learning to pace myself and give my body time to catch up with all the activity. I can’t do everything I did 3 weeks ago-and that’s OK.

The past three weeks have really helped me let go of this idea that I have to be super human all the time. I’m fortunate I have such a supportive partner that reminds me that we are human and nothing is going to crash and burn if we need to take time out to heal and take care of our well-being. I’ve also let go of the pressure I put on myself to engage in social media all the time. While I like connecting with everyone on social media, no one NEEDS me to post or engage. I’ll be getting back to regularly scheduled blog posts on Tuesdays. Denise has been writing a lot of articles lately and I’m excited to get her work out into the world.

Thanks for your patience while I’m recovering.

Stay well, friends. YOU are important.

CBD Rocks. – While in recovery, I have used so much of our CBD. From the tinctures, softgels with curcumin, and the salve to rub on my belly where they went in. I’m incredibly thankful for my CBD. You can find our CBD line here.