5 Ways to Enjoy a Low Stress Holiday

So you're excited for the holidays and you want to make sure this season is low stress despite the hustle and bustle that can make us feel overwhelmed.   Start now by making some small changes in how you approach this time of year from both an emotional standpoint as well has physical health-wise too (mental + spiritual). Let me show these five tips for creating a low stress holiday experience:

Sugar Intake

The number one way you can make this a low stress holiday season is by watching your sugar intake. And I know that's hard to do during the holidays when there are lots of treats and events, but if you manage both sweeteners like candy, as well as other foods such alcohol fruity drinks, or whatever else might come up over time, then you won't get spikes in hunger mood energy levels.  These spikes lead you into feeling constantly energized one minute, then tired out next! When consuming sugary substances our body produces quick burning energies followed quickly after with an intense crash.  This crash can send you into a stress spiral, so it becomes important to monitor your sugar intake.

Drink Enough Water

The number two way to have a low-stress holiday this year is by drinking water. And I know you've heard that before, definitely from us here at PuraWell.  We think it's the most important thing for your health and wellness - including how stressed out or tense things get when we don't drink enough fluids in our body! When folks don’t get enough H2O during hectic times like vacations or special events, their muscles become dehydrated causing tension throughout the whole body.  One way to make sure you're getting enough water is by front loading your water early in the day and having four cups before breakfast. 

Make a Plan and Stick to It

The number three tip this season to avoid stress is making a plan and sticking with it. Whatever that means for you - whether its traveling during the holidays, working extra hours at your job or just trying not eat everything in sight because there are so many tempting foods out on display! You should make sure when things get interrupted that instead of trying retain all normal habits from before-hand; focus more energy into planning what will happen next day while also enjoying each moment as they come along.

Prioritize What's Important to You

The number four tip to make sure that you're enjoying a low stress holiday is prioritize what's important. Now I know this might seem like an easy thing said, but in reality it can be really hard for some people as they need permission from themselves before saying no or even thinking about eliminating any traditions at all! We get into our routines during these times where families gather together and celebrate with gifts giving/trading etc., if certain aspects aren't enjoyable then why bother carrying on? It could mean letting go of old habits which may have caused unnecessary stress over time - so take charge by understanding your own needs first.

Lower Your Stress Threshold

The number five tip to enjoy a low stress holiday this season is begin now and lower your threshold. You may have heard me talk about it before but I'll recap, just in case! Each one of us has an individual limit within our minds & bodies on how much stress can be tolerated without having negative impacts towards health or well-being - which happens when reaching those limits become too much for someone's personal situation. So what you could do ahead of the big holidays coming up would be to start reducing all current levels below yours by taking care early so that any little thing doesn't push you to exceed your threshold.

One way you can hack your brain to tell it that it is safe, so that stress doesn't have as much power over the body is with meditation, something everyone should try at least once. Just take a few minutes each day and clear out all thoughts except those related directly around what we're doing right now - practice emptying stressful situations in our head before they become overwhelming.  Simply focusing on being present rather than worrying about things happening later or expecting good stuff coming next week will help lower one’s threshold.  Breathing exercises are an easy way to lower your stress threshold. You can find some breathing techniques on the PuraWell app, that we provide for you. This type of exercise really tones down our emotional responses so they don't sneak up when we least expect them too much again later in life - keeping everything under control mentally and physically.

I hope that these 5 tips can help you start creating the healthiest and happiest low stress holiday season you've ever had.