This month I am thinking of the many things I am thankful for. Among them is good health for most of my family and friends. How are you doing? Have you found ways to Age Safely, Wisely, and Well, which just happens to be the title of my book?! If you haven’t got your copy yet, here are some things that might help you manage that mental and physical stress that is often a big issue for people at this time of year.
MINDFULNESS FOR MENTAL WELL-BEING AND STRESS-REDUCTION
The first thing is to become mindful of how you are feeling as you go about holiday preparations. To manage your mental and physical well-being, take a few moments to become aware of any discomfort you may be experiencing.
Mental discomfort may be related to stress or upsets you are experiencing related to holiday preparation or challenging relationships you anticipate confronting. Maybe you are experiencing loneliness or depression that can also accompany the holiday season for some people.
In my book, Aging Safely, Wisely, and Well – A Movement and Mindset Guide for Older Adults, The Book – Thera Fitness, I offer several strategies learned from Landmark Worldwide trainings. The first has to do with identifying upsets, which are the usual source of stress. Here’s how they identified the characteristics of an upset:
- A thwarted intention. You planned to do something for the holidays, but something interfered with your plans. Oh no!
- An unfulfilled expectation: You expected an invitation to an event or a delivery from Amazon, etc. It didn’t come! Oh no!
- An undelivered communication. This is a tricky one. Did you not express a thought or a feeling to someone? Once you realize you left something unsaid that you really wanted to express, now what do you do? (Some things are better left unsaid.)
The point is, once you realize that your upset is caused by a breakdown in communication, do you really have to do anything more than just recognize that that is the source of your upset?
Identifying the source of your upset is the beginning of resolving it. Now you get to choose! Is there some action you need to take? What is it? Maybe you don’t need to do anything! Just by acknowledging that you are upset and identifying which of the 3 components is most relevant to the situation, you can choose what, if any, action is called for. Sounds simple, right?
This is just one approach to easing holiday stress so you can be thanks-giving.
MANAGING YOUR PHYSICAL WELL-BEING
What about physical stress? Here Aging Safely, Wisely, and Well offers you a simple ABC Mind-Body System: Align, Breathe, Center. Take a few moments to turn your attention to your posture and pull yourself a little taller (Alignment).
Next become aware of your Breathing and consciously slow it down and deepen it – in through the nose, followed by a slow, prolonged exhalation through pursed lips. Tell me you are not feeling a little more relaxed.
MORE THOUGHTS FOR MANAGING YOUR WELL-BEING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON . . .
Finally, in this season of major attempts at multi-tasking, it is time to Center yourself. Have your mind and body work on one task at a time. Here I recommend another strategy adapted from Landmark Worldwide: Start – Act – Stop. Approaching every task you have to do using this strategy will allow you to avoid unwanted accidents, injuries or mistakes because you are fully focused. Makes sense, right?
There you have a few simple tips and tricks to help you get through this holiday season with more mental and physical ease, joy and reasons to be thanks – giving. (You might also consider buying the book for yourself or someone you think would enjoy learning more about what they can do to Age Safely, Wisely, and Well! The Book – Thera Fitness
