Feeling the effects of holiday overload?
It’s the day after Christmas… and I am hearing from so many people who are feeling just plain LOUSY! From head to tummy to toes, people are complaining about all kinds of ailments.
But why are we so surprised?
Most of us have just gone through a month of excess! Physically we pushed ourselves with overloaded calendars and lack of sleep. We have often been in contact with more people, which increases our exposure to germs and bacteria. We try to accomplish incredibly more than normal. And of course, the food – falling off the “clean eating” wagon, consuming all kinds of junk food and sweets, alcohol, and overloaded portions on our plates.
Mentally and emotionally we have been dealing with all the good/bad/ugly stressors that come with the expectations of flawless holidays (financial strain, relationship issues, depression, loneliness, etc.). C’mon, go to any social media platform and you see people uploading a plethora of photos that make you feel like everyone else in the world had a picture-perfect life, home, decorations, oodles of money, and so on. Let’s face it, that alone is enough to make you want to get sick to your stomach, doesn’t it? It’s all about a real as the holiday movies that make you think any of our problems can be solved in two hours and life will be nothing but dancing elves, blissful romance, wealth, beautiful bodies and unicorns from now on.
It’s time to DETOX!
First and foremost, limit your social media exposure. Take off those rose-colored glasses and realize most of it glosses over the real-life issues we all have but don’t like to highlight. Enjoy the posts, but take them all with a BIG grain of salt! Limit your time on social media as well – go read a book, meet up with a friend, take a walk, go work out.
Then address your physical self. How about this week you cut yourself some slack and invest in some serious self-care? Block time for yourself on the calendar and don’t be afraid to say no to some invitations you don’t really want to do anyway. It is altogether OKAY to say, “Thank you so much, I appreciate you thinking of me, but I’ve got other plans.” Now those plans might be putting on your PJs at 5pm and watching an old movie and going to sleep early, but why not? Give yourself permission to nuture YOU! If you need to, go have a good cry – that can release so much and help begin to heal.
As far as diet, now may be a really good time to spend a few days cleaning out the system of all the junk. Step away from the sweets and junk food for the rest of the week. Focus on eating whole foods, organic when possible: fruits, veggies, lentils. Eliminate or minimize sugar, caffeine, meat, dairy and grains for a few days to give your system a rest — as long as you have no medical issues, and of course, ALWAYS ALWAYS check first with your medical professional!* Drink lots and lots of water and herbal tees, and hot water with lemon and mint. Do lots of stretching/flexing, and exercises like pilates and yoga – gently. Walk. Again I will say, get more sleep this week, as much as you can. Take a bubble bath or nice, long shower. If you have access to a steam room or sauna at your gym, take advantage of them as directed by the facility.
I’ll be posting recipes this week that you may want to try that are geared towards a cleaner intake/fueling program for your body for the next few days – ideas for every meal, and snacks, so stay tuned! Let’s all be more intentional and mindful of our holistic health as we prepare for the best new year ever. Remember, it’s the perfect time to consider life coaching to optimize your plans for 2018. Contact me today at [email protected] or book a session HERE!!!
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