Holiday stress really can have a huge impact.

Lindsay-Pera-_-fieldHi All,

I’m reworking one of my early journal entries for the holiday period, and looking forward to taking a couple of weeks off for some much needed rest, recuperation, and revitalization.

Aparna kI also invite you to enjoy a guest video blog from Aparna Khalnokar. The beautiful Aparna applies her experience with the ancient practice of Ayurveda to healing, focusing on the whole person, not just symptoms or illness. Everything we do, in Ayurveda, is medicine: eating, self-care, sleep, play, work, etc. Approaching one’s life with that consciousness is powerfully healing.

Perhaps the most powerful feature of Aparna’s teachings is that, though a busy single mom, she practices what she preaches, dedicating time each day for her own care and healing. And it works.

Below is a video where Aparna demonstrates the ancient healing practice of self-massage with healing oils. Please enjoy the video, and see our conversation as well here.

Find out more about Aparna’s work at her website: www.aparnakhanolkar.com.

Tracking myself through the holidays:

Lindsay with iPad smallerLast year, we launched our first tracker just before the holidays, so I was able to see how my top 5 symptoms, which all had been improving up until Thanksgiving, subsequently started to make a precipitous decline. I didn’t recover from my “holiday setback” for nearly 6 weeks.

How amazing to see, graphically, that whatever built up to that day, in conjunction with the high-stress holiday energy output, left my symptoms in a free fall that continued even after the holiday stress was over.

At the time I noticed that, though the news was ‘bad’ — I had backslid — I actually felt a lift from seeing the impact of my decisions — and recognizing that I had power over my illness. This inspired me, more than ever, to judiciously guard my energy and wellness, and to refocus on my self-care and cultivating Chronic Wellness.

This holiday season, I’m trying to be more proactive, so I don’t have another backslide. I’ve established the following core ‘holiday’ practices to bolster myself against the inevitable stress of the season.

  • put my own and my family’s needs first — not letting others dictate what I know we need to do to take care of ourselves;

  • practice daily routines (see my toolkit entry);

  • sign up for Elena Lipson’s holiday self-care challenge;

  • hanging out the closed sign so I don’t have to work over the holiday;

  • stop multi-tasking…focus on the person who’s in front of me, whether it’s myself, my four-year old, or whoever. Giving undivided attention. Take my time.

I’m looking foward to seeing how my more intentional approach to the holidays this year will show up on my log at Chronic Wellness Tools (you could also use Challenge Tracker).

Season’s Greetings,

Love Lindsay