Tis the season for long to-do lists and holiday stress! When life gets hectic, we tend to skip our self care and we just hope to make it through the day. I know things feel busy, but when life is at it's craziest, that is the most important time to be sure you're feeding your mind, body and soul!

Mind- Sleep is so very important for our mental health for so many reasons, and so it is crucial to make sleep a priority. I am going to say that again for the people in the back of the room, including myself. It is CRUCIAL to make sleep a priority. We all know it, so why don't we do it? When you sleep, your brain makes connections and catalogues the previous day’s experiences, solidifies memories, and triggers the release of hormones that regulate energy, mood, and mental acuity. This is a big job and in order to complete its work, the brain needs 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. When it gets less, your concentration, creativity, mood regulation, and productivity all take a hit. I tend to get about 6 to 7 hours a night, but this month, I am committing to getting myself to bed 30 min earlier in order to reap these benefits and feed my mind. How much sleep do you get at night? Could you attempt 30 min more each night this month?

Body- Alleviate aches and pains with self massage. With the busy holiday schedules, you may not have time to come for a massage as often as you'd like and need. And with the schlepping through malls, carrying heavy bags of gifts and sitting more to watch those favorite holiday movies, your body may be feeling more stiff than normal. It's important to not just ignore those aches. Break out the tennis balls, golf balls, and massage tools and give your body some self care. Here's an article with a few self massage ideas.

Soul- Fill your heart and soul by giving back. I think we have all heard of the benefits of being charitable. When we donate our time, give away things we no longer need, throw our change into the salvation army bucket, write a generous check to charity, or volunteer in our local communities, we are in turn feeding our own soul. Giving back releases those "feel good" hormones and stimulates the reward center in the brain, giving us a "helper's high". And what better way to feel good than by helping others? Given that November is Diabetes Awareness month, also the 12 year Diaversary for Ethan, we chose to focus our giving this month to our local JDRF chapter and to local medical centers in need of our extra diabetes supplies. How can you give back today?

.