FITNESS FRIDAY 12/21/18 ("Exercising" Mindfulness to approach Holiday Stress)!

HEY EVERYONE!...

Welcome this week to our FITNESS FRIDAY!....

**This week with the upcoming Holiday, we will take a look at a different type of Fitness. And that will be "Exercising our Minds", to help with Holiday stressors!

A Mindful Approach to Holiday Stress
Simple strategies that may help take the anxiety out of the season.

**Hanging decorations, exchanging gifts, spending time with family..... there are still plenty of fun, happy moments folded into the season, but it isnt hard to feel frazzled by long visits with relatives, traveling (planes, trains, and automobiles!), and holiday parties. In fact, more than 1 in 5 adults feels extreme levels of stress during the season, according to the American Psychological Association

**All the seasons food-based delicacies—treats around your office or goodies at festive soirees—could create some anxiety, too.

**Fortunately, there are simple, mindful ways to help calm your seasonal stress.

**Focus on your five senses.

Maybe youre running late for a party or trying not to lose your temper with a relative... When negative emotion creeps in, take a moment to cycle through your senses, one by one, and focus on what each is experiencing. What does the turkey in the kitchen smell like, and what color are the decorations around the house? When you feel stressed or anxious, your brain may be in a state of over-excitement....By paying attention to immediate sensory cues, youll potentially draw attention away from the anxious thoughts chasing each other around your brain, and refocus them on the world around you.

**Get off to a strong start.

If youre in for a long day at or have a thousand errands to run, start the morning with a 10-minute meditation. This may help change your baseline so that you begin the day with a calmer mind and nervous system, rather than feeling stressed. Sit quietly and focus on your breathing, or on those here-and-now sensory cues. If you have a hard time finding your zen, consider a meditation app like Headspace, which allows you to input your current situation (just waking up or traveling) for specific guided meditations.

**Take a break from all the celebrating.

With so much going on, it might be easy to detour from your usual habits so you can attend every gathering or meet every family obligation.... Dont abandon your normal routines of self-care or those things that you rely on to keep yourself balanced. If you go for a walk every morning, keep doing that even if youre visiting relatives. If you want, ask them to join. Feeling frazzled? At least once a day, focus on doing something just for you, not for everyone else. Read, attend a yoga class, or do an activity that helps you unwind.

**Take it to another level.

When anxiety reaches Im going to scream extremes,... In those situations, removing yourself by taking a 10-minute walk to clear your head is probably your best move. .... In fact, any kind of physical activity may help. Anxiety is basically too much energy in your nervous system, and physical exercise — walking, yoga, swimming — is well documented to help relieve that energy. If you can, head outdoors to a park or natural setting: a dose of nature may help distract you from focusing on your problems which could help reduce your stress levels even more.

HOW WILL YOU "EXERCISE" MINDFULNESS TO APPROACH THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?!.... WHAT WAYS OR TECHNIQUES HAVE HELPED YOU IN THE PAST TO DEAL WITH HOLIDAY STRESSORS?!