Happy turkey day Honey Crunchers! We’re back once again to that oh so awesome time of year. A time for celebrating the three F’s: great food, friends, and family. While the holiday season is filled with joy there is an undeniable sense of stress and anxiety that seems to come along with it. But it doesn’t have to be that way…
Today’s post is centered around one simple concept: mindfulness. What exactly is mindfulness? According to Merriam Webster mindfulness can be defined as:
- the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something
- a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
So therefore mindfulness means being truly present. While both of those definitions sound great, it’s a lot harder to actually put those words into practice. Whether you are visiting family, hosting family, or just spending time to relax on your own, here are 5 top suggestions for putting mindfulness to action:
- Be present when visiting family – put away your phone, make eye contact and really listen to what others are saying (this one is hard for me!)
- Eat mindfully – not only will this help you not over indulge, but will heighten your senses and allow you to be present in that moment
- Take deep breaths – Feeling extra anxious or stressed? Take 3 deep breaths, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth
- Take a walk through nature – Bundle up and get outside, even if it’s a walk around the block. Observe your surroundings the sounds, smells, and sights
- Stretch or do yoga – Even 10 minutes will force you to focus solely on what stretch you are doing or pose your holding. Not only will this help your body but your mind as well.
Honey Crunched Fitness 