At Christmas, we’re reminded it’s a time of “peace on earth and good will to all…”
And yet the run up to Christmas is often far from peaceful.
- Adverts from October onwards
- Floor to ceiling “Christmas food” in many of the shops and supermarkets
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales encouraging us to spend, spend, spend
- Battling the crowds to get those last minute gifts and food items
And all of this going on against a backdrop of the “cost of living crisis”!
Is it any wonder that for many, Christmas is far from the idyllic celebration portrayed on our TV screens.
And then there’s “…goodwill to all.”
I wonder how many of us create Christmas lists to ensure that everyone is happy on Christmas morning?
We’re told it’s “better to give than receive”. And, in many ways, this is very true. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s “Mindful Attitudes” include “generosity” which infers that we should give without measure.
But perhaps, at this time of year, we make ourselves so busy thinking about others that we often forget to be kind (generous) to ourselves….
Remember the often used illustration of sitting on an aeroplane, listening to the safety announcement. We are told that if the plane loses altitude quickly, oxygen masks will appear from above our seats. If this happens, we are encouraged to put our own mask on before attempting to help anyone else – we can’t help anyone if we ourselves are gasping for breath.
Similarly, if all we do is run around, meeting everyone else’s needs, we will soon run out of energy and become incapable of making anyone happy least of all ourselves.
In this blog, I’m going to share a little about stress and then some simple, practical things to do to “put on your oxygen mask” so you can enjoy this holiday period and avoid burnout.
The nature of stress
A very dark picture is often painted of stress and there’s little doubt that too much, over long periods, can be harmful to our health and wellbeing. However, a certain amount of stress can actually be helpful to us to enhance performance, help us grow, develop and build resilience.
Jay Shetty, in his book “Think like a monk”, describes an experiment that was carried out decades ago. Scientists built a huge glass dome called “Biosphere 2” and filled it with purified air, clean water, nutrient-rich soil and ensured it received lots of natural light. It was supposed to provide ideal living conditions for all the plants and animals that were introduced. In many ways the experiment was successful but in one, it failed miserably. On numerous occasions, when the trees inside the Biosphere grew to a certain height, they just fell over. The scientists were baffled until they realised that the dome lacked one key ingredient that would help to keep the trees healthy – wind! In their natural environment, trees are buffeted by wind. As Shetty says, “they respond to this pressure and agitation by growing stronger bark and deeper roots to increase their stability”.
From this we can deduce that encountering difficulties, challenges and hardship from time to time is not only inevitable but can also help us to grow stronger.
However stress, if it becomes a regular part of our lifestyle, can take a toll on our body, mind and spirit and we can start to suffer with a host of physical, emotional and psychological problems.
The stress response, often called “fight or flight”, is a survival mechanism that “kicks in” in response to threat. It is very much a primitive response to physical threat. Imagine a cave dweller, out hunting, suddenly confronted by a wild animal or enemy tribesmen – the stress response will prepare him/her for action by releasing powerful hormones that increase heart rate, oxygen intake, blood sugar levels and enhance mental focus. This enables him/her to either fight against the threat or run away. Once the appropriate action has been taken, the body returns to normal. There is a downside! While these hormones prepare the cave dweller for action and potential survival, his/her digestion, immune function and growth and repair systems will be suppressed. In today’s world, while there is some “physical threat”, the majority of it is more psychological e.g. uncompromising workloads, information overload, social media pressures and perhaps now, financial difficulties. Although the threat is different, our body’s response is the same and, without appropriate action, it can stay on “high alert” for long periods of time, eventually leading to chronic, stress related conditions including anxiety, diabetes, stomach problems and vulnerability to all kinds of illnesses due to the immune system becoming compromised.
This is why it’s essential for us to adopt some kind of “self-care routine” to help when the going gets tough.
On her Instagram page, Brain Health Coach and Biohacker, Kayla Barnes, identifies 8 key areas, or, as she calls them, “Pillars of of health and mental health”. She suggests that we should prioritise each of these areas if we are to build good physical and mental health. I’ve used Kayla’s headings below and elaborated on them a little – I’m no expert on all the areas so I’ve included some details of where you can find additional information if you wish to carry out some further research of your own.
Exercise
From what I wrote earlier, we know that when the “fight or flight”response is triggered, hormones are released into the body to prepare us for action. This “action” helps to “mop up” these stress hormones and return us to a more balanced state. These days, we’re often unable to just get up and go and so our body remains under the influence of these hormones for hours. Because of this, it makes good sense to include some form of exercise in our daily routines – take a brisk walk at lunchtime, pay the gym a visit either before or after work, go for a swim, do some work in the garden…. Make sure to choose something that your enjoy rather than endure as this will help you to make a habit out of it.
Grounding
This technique, “5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1”, is particularly useful if we start to feel anxious or overwhelmed and helps us to focus on physical sensations, bringing us back “into the moment”. To start with, become aware of where you are and then identify….
- 5 things you can see, e.g. if you’re inside, a table, a chair, a picture or if you’re outside, trees, flowers or the sky.
- 4 things you can hear e.g. if you’re inside, a radio or TV, the whirring of a fridge or if you’re outside, birds singing or the sound of traffic.
- 3 things you can feel e.g. if you’re inside, the feel of clothing or if you’re outside, the feel of cold or warmth on your face and hands.
- 2 things you can smell e.g. if you’re inside, the smell of coffee or an air freshener or if you’re outside, the smell of flowers.
- 1 thing you can taste e.g. your favourite snack.
Cold showers
There’s growing interest in various cold therapies at the moment with Wim “The Iceman” Hof being a leading advocate. Research is starting to suggest that taking regular, short cold showers can have many benefits including: easing muscle tension, boosting the immune system, improving focus and mood generally. I know from my own experience, cold showers are invigorating and the “afterglow” feels wonderful!
Cold, especially cold water, is uncomfortable. Having even a short cold shower puts our body under controlled stress but, as we relax into it and breathe, our resilience will start to build. Why not challenge yourself to try out a cold shower, every day for the next week? Just start with 10 to 15 seconds and see how you feel after the seven days. Who knows, you may want to continue and make it a part of your routine!
If you have any health concerns though, it may be wise to consult your Doctor before heading for the shower.
For more information, check out James H. Smart’s book, “The Cold Therapy Code – rediscover your vitality through cold exposure”.
Sunlight
Although there can be adverse effects from too much sun on the skin, sunlight is also known to increase the brain’s release of the hormone Serotonin which is associated with boosting mood, calmness and increased focus. Moderate sunlight exposure can also boost our levels of Vitamin D which plays a huge part in the growth and development of healthy bones and teeth and may also support the immune system. Getting some sunlight early in the morning is also said to help improve sleep.
In more northerly countries, like ours, getting sunlight becomes much more difficult, especially during winter months. As a result, some people can suffer with a condition known as “Seasonal Affective Disorder” or SAD. To combat this, it’s suggested that we make our environments as light as possible, sit close to windows and get plenty of exercise, particularly outdoors. Some people may also benefit from a SAD Lamp. This mimics daylight and should be used for around 20 to 30 minutes within an hour of getting up.
It may also be beneficial to taker a good quality Vitamin D3 supplement during winter months.
It may be wise to consult your Doctor before putting these suggestions into practise.
Neuroscience Professor and host of the Huberman Lab Podcast (hubermanlab.com) teaches on a variety of interesting subjects including “light exposure”. Follow the link and check out his library of podcasts.
Breathwork
Feeling stressed is a nervous system response. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is made up of two parts – the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). It’s responsible for regulating many unconscious processes including our heart rate, digestion and breathing rate every minute of every day. When we feel stressed, the SNS acts like the accelerator in a car triggering the “fight or flight response”. The PNS acts like a brake. Breathwork can be a form of “manual override” – when things are gathering speed and we feel ourselves losing control, we can use it to engage the brake that brings us back into balance.
A simple but very effective form of breathwork is “box breathing” which follows four simple steps.
- Step 1 – Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.
- Step 2 – Hold your breath for a count of 4.
- Step 3 – Breathe out through your mouth for a count of 4.
- Step 4 – Hold your breath for a count of 4.
Repeat this process for as long as you need to.
There are many different techniques using the breath – for more information, check out Dan Brule’s book, “Just Breathe”.
Meditation
As we are more than likely aware, our minds are assaulted by thousands of thoughts each and every day….thoughts of the past, thoughts of the future, some quite innocuous whilst others can take us into some dark places. It’s important to recognise that the stories we tell ourselves are not always the true facts of the matter and it’s very easy to constantly imagine “worst case scenarios”. Developing a regular meditation practice can help us to separate ourselves from our thoughts and give us a choice of what to accept and what to just “let go”.
Nutritious diet
Stress can take a real toll on our bodies and it’s essential that we remain “optimally fuelled” during challenging times. There are times when perhaps we choose “comfort food” over wholesome, nutrient dense foods – there’s nothing wrong with the odd “treat” as long as snacking doesn’t become a habit. Try to avoid lots of pre-prepared, convenience foods which can be laden with salt and sugar. Get into the habit of glancing at labels – if you can’t identify ingredients, think twice before putting them into your body.
It may also be wise to consider not only what we’re filling our bodies with but also our minds. It’s difficult to escape news of what’s going on in the world at times but important that we balance this out with some positives. Consider reading some enlightening books and engaging with like-minded people.
Deep sleep
This may be difficult, but essential during challenging times. Sleep helps to heal the brain and body and ensures we return to a balanced state. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is part of the sleep cycle that helps us to process information and what’s happening to us in our daily lives. If our sleep is erratic, the challenges we face each day may not be dealt with effectively, causing us to stay on “high alert”, in turn causing our overall health and well-being to be compromised. To develop healthier sleep, consider…
- Going to bed at a consistent time
- Making sure your bedroom is cool and as dark as you can make it
- Avoiding the use of gadgets/devices at least an hour before going to bed – try reading a book instead
- Avoiding caffeine during the evening
- Trying out a meditation practice like “Awareness of breath” or a short body scan as you lie in bed
- Doing a few rounds of “Box breathing” to help engage your “rest and digest” response
For more information, check out Matthew Walker’s book, “Why We Sleep”.
To these “8 Pillars”, I’d add “Gratitude”, another of Kabat-Zinn’s “Mindful Attitudes”.
As humans, we tend to have quite a negative bias and can find it a challenge to “look on the bright side” especially during difficult times. To help with this, make a habit out of identifying three things that you’re grateful for at the end of each day. They don’t have to be huge things, just being grateful for a sunny day, a tasty meal, a kind word exchanged will do for starters….
If there’s something really special that you’re thankful for, why not write it down on a post it note, fold it up and place it in a jar. If you’re feeling sad, you can have a rummage in the jar and pull out one of your notes to remind you of something positive that’s happened in the past – I guarantee you’ll feel better! You could even read all your notes on New Year’s Eve and take the warm feeling into the year ahead.
And finally…
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog and found it both informative and challenging. It can be easy, at times, to think you have to make huge changes overnight in order to make a difference. Nothing could be further from the truth, in fact, trying to do implement everything quickly can lead to failure and discouragement. Just take some small steps – choose one or two things from the list above and give them a try – over a period of time you’ll start to see some real progress as you develop some “healthier habits”.
Here’s a challenge (this ones for me too!) – we often say we haven’t got time to cook a meal from scratch, read an informative book, exercise or meditate. Add up the time spent watching TV or scrolling through social media in a typical week….you may be surprised! Why not use some of that time to invest in your health and wellbeing instead?
If you’d like to know more about how you can help yourself to better mental health and wellbeing, listen to the second podcast in the “Take a break…stress less…” series, just follow the link on the website.
Alternatively, if you live in the Stourbridge area, I’ll be introducing “Self-care Saturdays” early in the new year which will cover, in a little more detail, some of the areas mentioned above….
Or, you can simply get in touch by using the contact form on the website.
Dates for your diary…
January 7th – 10.30 – 11.30
February 4th – 10.30 – 11.30
March 4th – 10.30 – 11.30
All the sessions will be held at the Ruskin Glass Centre, Wollaston Road, Amblecote, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 4HF.
To book your place, email info@mindfulalchemy.co.uk There will be a special introductory price of £5 for the first session, all subsequent sessions will be £8.
Why not come along and invest in your mental health and wellbeing – after all…you’re worth it!
And in the meantime, have a great Festive Season in whichever way you choose to celebrate it…see you in 2023!
