Lower the Dimmer Switch on Your Seasonal Stress

Some call it the most wonderful time of the year, others call it the most stressful. The holidays can bring us great cheer, but in our quest to be festive we often find ourselves depleted, between all the parties, family interactions, and indulgence in sugary treats. Add to this short days and longer nights, and pretty soon all you want to do is hibernate like so many creatures are preparing to do this time of year. In this season, or other times where we let stress overtake us, it can be easy to go, go, go at such a pace that we completely use up every last ounce of energy. While this tactic can feel productive in the moment, it can tax both the body and mind in damaging ways that take time to recover from. Think of it like this: if you drive your car until it runs completely out of gas because you're too busy bouncing from appointment to appointment to stop and fill it up, what happens? You end up spending a lot more time on the side of the road dealing with AAA or finding someone to bring some gas to you than you would have if you'd simply taken a couple minutes in the midst of the craziness to simply put some gas – even just a gallon or two – into the tank. 

The same goes for your body and mind: taking time – as little as a minute – to refuel can have lasting an profound effects for your whole day. Anytime we consciously stop the busyness and interrupt our stress, we automatically send the body a signal to take a momentary break from operating in its "fight, flight or flee" mode, where we tend to spend a lot of our waking time especially this time of year. When we are able to do this, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for rest, digestion and rejuvenation), which sends powerful signals throughout the body to perform simple maintenance-related tasks that support our health and well-being. 

When we push ourselves to our edge day after day, we often become like the car that's run out of gas - we are more prone to get sick, we become irritable and lacking in holiday cheer, or find ourselves completely depleted and unable to keep up at the pace life demands.

In an ideal world, we might take a couple days to retreat in a season such as this, but given all that our modern lives ask of us, instead of hitting the off switch completely, many of us are simply grateful to have a "dimmer switch" to lessen the intensity of our stress.

Here are four great ways to dim your stress this holiday season, all in 30-minutes or less. Choose the amount of time you have and take a moment to practice being instead of doing. All of these activities are great ways to dim your stress and let the radiant light of your true being shine a little brighter:

1 minute: Set a timer, then close your eyes. Take a full, deep inhalation followed by a long, slow exhalation. Continue until time is up, seeing if you can lengthen each progressive in/out-breath pair. When the timer sounds, take just a moment more to notice the effect this quick practice had on your state of being.

13 minutes: Grab a cushion and listen to my guided recording of one of my personal favorite meditations. I learned this one from Pablo Das, who received it from Dr. Rick Hanson, author of the amazing book Buddha's Brain. I've taught this meditation to many people, and so many of them have credited it for getting them through some pretty tough and dark times. This meditation specifically builds up parts of the brain that help us conquer our feelings of lack or deprivation. So if you're struggling because you feel like you don't have enough – or that you are not enough – this practice is for you! Click here to listen now (or right-click the link to download).

20 minutes: Try a mindful walking practice. Allow yourself to be attentive to each step, feeling as your foot connects with the earth. Bonus points if you sync your steps with your breaths! You could simply take a walk near your home or office or get out into nature for some time away from it all. You can even practice mindful walking when you're out in the hordes doing last-minute holiday errands. Allow yourself to go slow and see what happens.

30 minutes: Break out your yoga mat and enjoy this free Rest and Rejuvenate yoga practice with Jillian Pransky. I had the great good fortune to complete a restorative yoga teacher training with Jillian in October, and she is truly a masterful teacher. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Hone Your Knife Skills (For Free!)

People often ask me what the top thing is they can do to become more comfortable in the kitchen. For me the answer is always the same - improve your knife skills. I share this advice based on my own experience. I was fortunate to take (and later assist many times over) a knife skills class at the Kitchen on Fire culinary school in Berkeley, CA, at the beginning of my professional cooking career. Once I began to refine and master various knife skills, my speed and ease in the kitchen increased remarkably, and more importantly, I no longer had to worry about cutting myself (which happened occasionally prior to getting super skilled with a knife).

I usually encourage people to find a local knife skills class, and many end up not taking the time to find one, or they get put off by the cost, since classes can often be upwards of $150. 

I'm therefore delighted to let you know that there is currently a FREE course online that I have watched and highly recommend. This video series covered all the essential things you would cover is a paid course. The production is superb, and the instructor is engaging and entertaining. Click here to watch it now (you can thank me later).

I recommend watching the course and taking the time to practice as well. Like the course suggests, it is a great idea to make a batch of veggie stock from all the little bits you cut up while practicing, so make dedicated time just to slice vegetables, which you'll likely find to be an amazing meditation as well!

Like anything, the more you practice, the easier using a knife properly becomes. Some of the "correct" techniques can feel incredibly awkward at first, especially if you're used to handling a knife in some of the more dangerous but common ways that you're steered away from in this course. Once you start to get the hang of things, you'll be astounded by how much time you save in your kitchen prep-work.

If you've never done a knife course before, I hope you'll take advantage of this amazing opportunity. Let me know how you find the course in the comments below!

What this day means to me...

The 69th anniversary of Hiroshima. My newsfeed on Facebook is filled with posts denouncing the tragedy of that day. A tragic day, indeed, but also one that brings up severely mixed feelings for me. My maternal grandmother was a prisoner of war (held by the Japanese) during World War II in her homeland of Indonesia, and had the bombs not been dropped, my family can only wonder how much longer she would have been held, and whether she might have survived. It can be heavy for me sometimes to know that perhaps I might not be here had this horrific act not occurred when it did. When I spoke to my grandmother on Friday (for her 91st birthday), she told me how hard it as for her to know that so much hate and war fill our planet. Mentions of war and hostility are all around these days, from the situation in Israel, to neighboring countries in the Middle East, and across the Russian/Ukrainian border. Beyond that, so many people I encounter are at war with themselves – caught up in cycles of suffering that stem from anger, jealousy, unworthiness and other strong emotions.

My wish for today, as we mark the anniversary of one of the world’s most tragic days is for everyone who reads this to root a little more deeply into a place of peace. Maybe it means being more compassionate with yourself. Maybe this means choosing not to share divisive articles about the Israeli/Palestinian showdown that make broad generalizations about groups of human beings. Maybe it’s just telling someone you love them or offering a smile to a stranger. Whatever it is for you, I hope you’ll feel peace and be at peace.

Registration is now open for the annual Grace & Gratitude retreat I lead annually with Karen Macklin. Spots are filling fast - we're half full already! - so sign up soon to secure your spot!