|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Spotlight: Holiday Wellness and Self-Care Advice From Local Experts
The holiday season is a time of great joy, but with many obligations and events, it can also be a stressful time. From a flurry of events to wrapping up work obligations to personal matters, the holiday season can be overwhelming.
We asked some of our local experts on health, wellness and self-care, personal trainers and chiropractors, therapists and salon technicians, what advice they had for promoting self-care and wellness over the holiday season. We hope their words find you well and that you will find some time to do something nice for yourself this holiday season-you deserve it.
|
Self-Care, Wellness and Health Tips From Our Experts
Katie Augustyn, Augustyn Family Services:
One of the most powerful ways that you can take care of yourself during the holidays is to try to let go of expectations. We frequently put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get everything right on the holidays. A perfectly decorated house, carefully curated menus, thoughtful and personal gifts for everyone, harmonious family relationships....and then can experience self-judgement, stress and disappointment when these unrealistic expectations don't materialize. This can get in the way of being present and enjoying the holidays in all of their messy, busy, and chaotic loveliness.
So, when you find yourself feeling stressed because the grocery store is out of half of your needed ingredients or your conservative in-laws are talking politics with your liberal parents or the dog just pulled down the perfectly decorated tree, just take a breath. Consciously and intentionally decide to let go of expectations. Remind yourself that there is probably somewhere in the world where grilled cheese is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. Or begin to sing carols (just a little loudly) over political conversations. Or allow yourself to weep over a broken ornament before you sweep up the pieces.
When we are able to let go of what we wish and instead just embrace what is, we allow ourselves to experience joy in the reality of the moment.
Dr. Kevin Hong, Artisan Eyecare
Along with celebrations, gifts, and spending time with friends & family, the holidays also come with cold weather. A decrease in moisture, increase in forced air heating, a bitterly cold winds are a perfect conditions for exacerbating dry eye syndrome. Hallmark signs include tired eyes, redness, intermittent blurred vision, excessively watery eyes, and increased difficulty with prolonged contact lens usage.
Products like Systane Balance and Refresh Optive Advanced are lipid-enhanced over-the-counter artificial tear products that can provide enhanced and prolonged relief, especially around this time of year. A diet rich in omega-3 oils is also recommended due to its natural anti-inflammatory properties, which will support better natural tear production.
O
f course, decreasing screen time on digital devices and following the 20-20-20 rule (for every 20 minutes of near work, take at least 20 seconds to look at something 20 feet away to give your eyes rest) can reduce the symptoms of dry eye disease. If all else fails, then more aggressive prescription therapies are available through your eye care provider.
Rico & Julie Tallud, Be Well. The Art of Asian Therapies
Smiles & hugs are the type of gifts I love to receive. Ripping open a present is great, but opening your heart creates lasting memories. Stress free, anger free, negative free holidays to all.
Dr. Bianka Hardin, Centered Therapy Chicago:
During the holidays, it can be so busy that we can go into automatic pilot and forget about self- care and the true meaning of the holidays. Here are a few tips to help you stay focused and practice good self-care.
Be Intentional: During the holidays, it's easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of the season and lose sight of what is really important to you. At Centered Therapy Chicago, we like to remind our clients to be intentional. This means asking yourself, "why am I doing and is it working for me?" Practicing good self-care means loving yourself and honoring your truest intentions.
Connect with what you love about the holidays: When things get hectic, it's common for people to stop doing things that they love. Take an inventory of your life and what you want from the holidays. What's important to you now? What did you used to love doing during the holidays but stopped doing? Did you replace it with something? If not, is there something you want to reintegrate back into your life? What ritual and traditions make you happy? Do at least one thing you love to do during this holiday season.
Dr. Katie Ray, New Day Network Wellness Center:
There are many reasons the holidays can be a stressful time. There is mental and emotional stress around finances, family, schedules, etc. But there is also the physical stress of not getting enough sleep and eating and drinking in ways that are not congruent with what our bodies require to be healthy and how that affects the nervous system. When we are eating and drinking alcohol, dairy, sugar, and grains, this activates a fight or flight reaction in the nervous system, where the nerves send signals that affect what hormones are being released, how our internal organs function, our body posture, our pain levels, and even how we think and feel. For most of us, it's generally not possible to maintain a completely healthy diet, exercise, and self care routine over the holidays. We all love some of those treats associated with the season! So what's the solution?
One solution is what I call "damage control." Even though you may have fallen off the wagon with sleep, diet, and exercise since Thanksgiving, that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it until after New Year's. Even if your implementation is not perfect, focus on what you can add now that will give your body what it needs so that your nervous system can relax. Can you sneak 1 or 2 days of 100 percent healthy eating and exercise in before Christmas? Can you try to follow a night where you consume alcohol with 2 consecutive nights when you do not? Can you focus on eating healthy at least during the early part of the day, especially on a day when you have a holiday party or gathering planned later on? Can you focus on drinking as much water as possible during the day when you're at work? I see so many people in an "all or nothing" mentality with eating and drinking over the holidays. Your nervous system will thank you for any opportunity to regroup and do some damage control, which will make things a lot easier come
January 1st.
Candice Wu, MA, LPC
The holiday season can bring a variety of emotions and stress.
Candice Wu, who teaches and facilitates Self-Love + Embodied Healing, blends yoga and ayurvedic philosophies to offer these tips for empowerment, kindness, and self-care through the holidays.
1. Let Your Body Lead
It is super intelligent! Our bodies tend to follow the natural seasonal shifts. Winter brings a time of rest and going inward-hibernation. If your body wants to rest, do it. If your body wants to play, go for it! Respond to your body's needs and provide it lots of good nourishment. Go inward and listen to your body when it has emotion, sensation, aches and pains.
2. Unplug
In Ayurveda, everything we take through the senses is food. Cleanse your precious body of technology and media intake. Give your body the gift of clearing out the tech clutter and get better sleep, increased digestion and clarity. Try putting a time limit to which you allow your phone/computer to be on or set a 5-10 minute timer for your social media scrolling or email.
3. De-Pressurize
Take the pressure off of yourself to be or feel a certain way around and about the holidays. Be kind and gentle to yourself about how you feel, as you are an ever-evolving creature that feels. Take care of your feelings by noticing them and making meaning of them.
|
|
Shop Local With Our Holiday Gift Guide!
The holiday shopping season is here! Instead of the big-box hustle and bustle, we at the Northcenter Chamber encourage you to visit local, independently-owned businesses in our neighborhood to do your holiday shopping.
That's why this year, we've put together an extra special holiday gift guide. In it, you'll find a variety of gift ideas for every taste and every budget from our local businesses! We hope you'll take advantage of this resource, available for download at the NCC website.
From all of us at the Northcenter Chamber, have a very safe, happy and festive start to the holiday season!
|
It's The Season of Giving!
Spread holiday cheer to those who need it most! The Northcenter Chamber of Commerce and local Northcenter businesses are coming together to encourage residents to give back while shopping local through the Season of Giving campaign.
Throughout the remainder of December, select businesses will be collecting food and toiletry donations for Common Pantry. In an effort to reward community members for giving back and shopping locally, several participants are offering great deals and incentives for donations. Please visit
their website for the latest information on most-needed items.
From now until Christmas Day 2016, shoppers can visit the following local businesses with their donations and, where specified, receive some great deals and specials!
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
