Tis the Season
when self-care may be harder due to busyness, lack of sunlight, the pressure to buy gifts. But let's be well anyway. Here's some ideas:
It’s dark a lot these days. As we get closer to the shortest day of the year – the Winter Solstice – I wonder how I will last until the Spring when the days eventually get longer. I felt the pull of Seasonal Affective Disorder as soon as we switched to daylight savings time. Some of the things I am doing to care for myself include going to bed earlier, staying hydrated, not saying yes to all social gatherings. We also have opted out of gift-giving. I know that might sound “Grinch-y”, but we actually haven’t done family gift exchanges for years. During the last few years, we exchanged books on topic(s) we really cared about, along with a short explanation as to why we thought the receiver might enjoy it. This year, we are opting to not do that either. We all are avid readers and have fairly large reading piles to get through (always a joyous thing). I may not even put up a tree this year. It’s not that I am being a “bah- humbug.” I am just tired and want to take a break. It’s true - I have a secret desire for someone to decorate my house for me – nice tree, lights, greenery, candles. But I also am okay without all those things. Really. Truly.
I don’t think I am ready to give away the handmade and rustic ornaments just yet, but they are safely tucked away in a box in the basement and will not suffer a bit if I don’t bring them out this year. Maybe they will enjoy the break too.
Nothing like a cookie to shine a little light into a gloomy, dark December. Since there are cookie exchanges everywhere I look, I at least wanted to make something somewhat healthy. Now, I admit, my healthy baking translations are a work in progress. If you have a very sweet tooth, you may not like my recipes. But, that is the point - to want (and like) less sugar. I am finding the monk fruit sweetener an acquired taste. I think I like the erythritol better. Another strategy I have is to eat only one cookie at any given event. By making this decision ahead of time, I cruise the sweet options thoughtfully; if I can only have one, I better make it worthwhile. Then, I simply enjoy it. I find doing something else to do with my hands; also, drinking water is helpful if I am tempted to have more sweets. It will only lead to a hangover the next day (from the sugar), so why bother. I have had to train myself to like and enjoy one sweet, without overindulging. I know; it’s easier to say than do. But I do count this restraint as part of caring for myself.
Click here for my recipe for Dark Salted Choc Chip Cookies.
Other Pick-Me-Ups
If you need a little pick-me-up, listen to this:
Try this breathing practice:
Or this one:
Eat a little dark chocolate.
If you get cold a lot like I do, try the following: use a hot water bottle to warm your feet before bed. Or, if you are watching a show and like to put a blanket over you, put the blanket in the dryer for a few minutes. Then wrap it around you and let the warmth permeate you. It really helps.
Here’s a book I’m reading with great interest and hope:
Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health – and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More by Chris M. Palmer, MD.
“Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: Mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain.”
Brain Energy Theory has me intrigued enough that I might go Keto (if you Google the term, you will find an abundance of explanations and examples). As in “try a Keto diet”. I already do a 16/8-hour intermittent fast daily. That means that I eat roughly between noon and 8pm, and I don’t eat from 8pm to noon the following day. This puts me in a state of ketosis without being on a formal Keto diet. Chris Palmer is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist making a case for linking metabolism and mental health. He has some fascinating studies and case studies on dramatic symptom reduction for people with Depression, Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar Depression using a Keto diet. In any event, it is well worth looking into. His website has some great free resources here.
If you like long-form podcasts (I love them, particularly this one), then listen to “The Tim Ferriss Show” at this link. Tim Ferriss is interviewing Chris Palmer about many aspects of the book.
Engage With Me
As always, here are some ways to connect with more of my work:
Group Class: Tuesdays 8-9 AM ET Zoom Gentle Yoga Class
Buy my book
Individual Sessions
Yoga Therapy
Embodied Spiritual Direction
I have limited time slots available due to my writing commitments, but I still have availability. I do my own scheduling via email or text at Joyogi5 at gmail.com or 412.287.4591, so call or email me to schedule an appointment.
For more details on the above sessions, click here.
If you celebrate Christmas, then have yourself a merry little Christmas, dear reader!
Thanks for reading this far. I hope you have found at least one helpful nugget to get you through the holidays.