Written By: Kate Clark, from Nourishing Minds Nutrition and The Rooted Place

Hello, December. We’ve been waiting for you! … or have we???

Truth is, we’re a little on edge.

December has the ability to bring us alllllll the warm and fuzzys… but it also has the ability to compound our pandemic stress with family, gifts, food, New Year and etc. stress. So, I thought it would be supportive to provide you with some tools that you may or may not be familiar with to use this season. My goal is for these tools to get you to come back to you. It’s so easy to lose ourselves in the shuffle this time of year. But you, my dear, are priority. Please, remember that.

DO SOMETHING NEW

Find a (new) hobby. Maybe find a few. Some to do with your family, if you’ll be seeing them, but some to do allllll by yourself. You’ll need some things in place to take your mind off of all those other things. Doing so will allow you to be more present and prepared for them.

Tapping into your creative self is extremely therapeutic! If you think you aren’t creative enough for the arts, I’m here to tell you you’re wrong. We are creative beings. We are creators! Expand your ideas of what art is. It may be something you have never done before. There is great learning to be done when you’re submerged in unfamiliar territory. When we learn a new skill and practice things we aren’t yet good at, we exercise our brain. We strengthen and stretch it, and our brain loves that- it needs that. Another reason why practicing something you’re bad at can be healthy for you this time of year is it acts as a distraction that fully absorbs you.

When you’re doing something either detail-oriented, new, or unfamiliar, you likely need to fully focus on it. This will take you out of your head and into your project.

Sit down and really think about what you can do that would require focus, creativity and just the right amount of time.

I also truly think we learn about yourself through creative outlets.

Some ideas:

A new challenging recipe

Candle making

All the DIY blogs

A new instrument (hello youtube tutorials)

Calligraphy

Watercolors

Sound baths or bowls

Graphic design platforms

Bracelet making

The options are truly endless but if you’re feeling uninspired then Pinterest might be able to help here.

JOYFUL GENTLE MOVEMENT

I’m a believer in that whole “movement is medicine” thing, I really am. But I think that phrase needs a little editing; I like to say “movement can be medicine”. I have seen movement bring out the best in people, including myself. I have also seen it drag people to their lowest, including myself. Moving your body should never be done as a punishment or compensatory behavior. It should be done to feeeeeeel good in your body. It should be done out of love and care for your body, not out of hate or fear.

When I’m teaching yoga I often say “don’t worry about what this looks like in your body, pay attention to how this feels in your body.” This immediately shifts the focus from exterior to interior. Something I am always trying to practice and inspire in others.

Movement releases supportive chemicals throughout our bodies like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. All which you might find to help keep you calm during this time of the year. Another thing movement can do, if you let it, is ground you.

First and foremost, grounding is an ancient practice that belongs to our indigenous ancestors and they deserve all the credit for this beautiful practice. Grounding is when you connect your body to the Earth, both physically and spiritually. Things like lower body strengthening and barefoot walking can facilitate this calming connection. I personally find it to be incredibly comforting and supportive for when I feel up in my thoughts. This practice takes you out of your head and into your body, bringing you back to Earth.

GET OUTSIDE

Sunlight is getting harder to find as the days go on, so take advantage of it! Sunlight studies are truly fascinating and you can find them all over but if you don’t feel like reading anything besides this blog, I got you. Sunlight exposure it crucial for facilitating the production of serotonin (there’s that happy chemical, again!) and it’s also supportive in our sleep. And we allllll know what happens to our capacity for stress when we are consistently short on sleep. So, trust the research on this one and get out in the sun when you can. It can also help you cope with the “winter blues”, but we have a whole other blog post on that if you’re into it.

What to do when you’re outside? Grounding work! Or maybe walk your dog, walk yourself, sip your coffee, sit still, get a little stretch in... Going shades-free for 10-15 minutes should do the trick.

BREATHWORK

Are you so sick of people (me) talking about breathwork yet?

Y’all, I will not stop.

Breathwork is one of your greatest and cheapest tools to solve your problems. Okay, you’re right, it will not “solve” your problems but it’s an incredible place to start. In our holiday episode 314 last month I walked you through 3 breathing techniques that I thought you might find supportive and reasonable to practice during your gatherings, social events, and dinners. The more you practice and exercise the breath, the faster you will “drop-in” to the benefits.

My main tip here is to try to cultivate a breath where the exhale is longer than the inhale. This is where the research says the magic happens.

If you don’t want to do the breathing by yourself, I get it. Here are some meditation apps with incredibly talented breath and bodyworkers that will walk you through every breath:

MEDITATION APPS:

Chopra: has a few free options available but they often do 30-day experiences with people like Beyoncé and they are incredible, so keep an eye out for those! But if you have the means to subscribe, their offerings are profound.

Headspace: has a wide range of free offerings and the cheapest membership out of most medi apps.

The Calm App: There are a few podcast hosts with discount codes for this one if you google it!

OTHER RESOURCES FOR YOU THIS HOLIDAY SEASON:

Our Holiday Survival Guide Ebook: to help you not just survive the holiday season, but actually enjoy it- food included.

Food and Body Peace Playbook (FBPP): our signature program, FBPP is an 8 week online course & group coaching program that will help you build lasting food freedom, better body image & sustainable health habits that stick. So like, picture a holiday with no food stress. THAT is what this course can give you.