5 Tips for Holiday Self-Care
Before Halloween even arrives, the holiday decorations are popping up in stores. Which got me thinking about how much pressure is on everyone to jump into the holiday season head-first—often blindly and before we’re ready for it.
We can’t do much about the subtle pressure of all those Thanksgiving and holiday decorations staring us in the face, but Traditional Chinese Medicine offers us some great advice for taking care of ourselves through the whirlwind at the end of the year. So consider this our TCM holiday survival guide, with 5 tips to help make the next few months a little less stressful, a little more relaxing and the most enjoyable ones yet.
1. Try to minimize stress
I am a huge proponent of acupuncture’s benefits when it comes to stress and anxiety—two things that spike around the holidays for many of us. Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective for treating anxiety, and with fewer side-effects than anxiety medications. It also helps with insomnia, and promotes overall wellness and mood stability. So get those appointments in! It’ll also give you a much-needed break from the holiday rush.
2. Everything in moderation
I talk a lot about balance, and with good reason! Chinese Medicine and acupuncture are all about balancing the flow of energy (what we call Qi) in our bodies. For the holidays, let’s think of that as balancing our bodies’ needs and wants. Three things come to mind for me during the holidays: alcohol, caffeine and certain foods. Alcohol creates excessive heat in the body, which might sound good during these colder months, but actually disrupts our balance of Yin and Yang and taxes the stomach and spleen, creating dampness. While caffeine can bring some benefits, like regulating your liver Qi, it also stimulates your stress hormones. And although warm foods are great for your winter diet, like all things, it’s possible to overdo it. So eat what you like this holiday! It is a holiday, after all. But be mindful that an excess of hot, warm and acrid foods can dry and weaken the body. Make sure you balance your diet with some cooling foods, as well. And if you do overdo it, finishing your meal with Hawthorne berries is wonderful for helping with fullness.
3. Get enough sleep
The body and mind are intertwined, and that means the quality of your sleep depends on your state of mind. Whether you’re awake in the middle of the night or are focused on starting the night off on the right foot, here are some tips for a good night’s sleep:
Lower your body temperature at bedtime by turning down the thermostat a few degrees.
Avoid electronic devices, TV and other screens in the hour before bed and if you wake up in the middle of the night. And definitely keep those devices out of the bedroom!
Drink chamomile tea or warm milk before bed, or take a bath.
Get out of bed if you can’t fall asleep within an hour. Find a cozy, dimly lit area to read a book for half an hour. Then give it another try.
4. Think warm
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is the season of Yin—or cold. So it’s important to replenish your body’s warmth and protect your Qi against external factors. That means bundling up (especially your neck and legs), eating warm cooked meals and even drinking room-temperature water. These things go hand in hand with some great holiday traditions, so lean into them!
5. Enjoy it!
Winter is ruled by the water element, and it likes when you go with the flow. It’s a time to slow down and conserve energy, and because this is also the season of Yin, it’s a deeply nourishing time of year that prepares us for spring’s rebirth and new energy. Like most things in Traditional Chinese Medicine, this time of year is about balance. I found a wonderfully simple way of summing up the water element this time of year, from a colleague in South Carolina: “A balanced water element is able to move smoothly through the season with strength, courage and willpower.”
What a wonderful way to set yourself up for a stress-free, fulfilling holiday season.
In health and wellness,
Julie