Unwrapping Holiday Wellness - Resources to Help Learn about and Manage Stress
In our December Unwrapping Holiday Wellness webinar, Jue, RCC, CCC and MCP, of Rainyday Counselling, took us through easy tips and reminders to help us let go of the holiday stress.
Jue’s tips for us focused on the benefits of meditation, working on our time management, priotizing ourselves and self-care, and learning to accept that there will always be some sort of stress in our lives.
Stress isn’t always bad, but it’s not great either
There is a difference between short-term and long-term stress, and Jue emphasized the benefits of being able to determine which is which. Not all stress is bad, and some short-term stress can be good - it forces us to get things done by a deadline for example.
To learn more about stress and the effects it can have on the body, Jue recommended the book “When the Body Says No - The Cost of Hidden Stress” by Gabor Maté.
Meditating for as little as five minutes is helpful
Meditation doesn’t need to be hard or scary. There’s physical and mental benefits to regular meditation, and once you learn, it can be an effective tool for managing stress no matter what time of the year it is. Start for a short time (e.g., 5 minutes) and gradually work your way up to longer meditations. You can find Y@HOME’s library of free meditations at: https://www.ymcahome.ca/meditation-mindfulness
If you enjoyed the meditation used in the webinar, you can find it on John Davisi’s yoututbe channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/johndavisi.
Practice mindfulness to relax deeply
Progressive muscle relaxation can help to control stress and anxiety, offering deep relaxation for both the mind and body. Progressive muscle relaxations help to teach you how to relax your muscles in a two-step process - first by tensing each muscle group, and then releasing the tension and noticing how your muscles feel after. Anxiety Canada has released step-by-step instructions on how to do a progressive muscle relaxation for yourself. If you prefer to follow along with someone, you can find body scan exercises on Y@HOME: https://www.ymcahome.ca/meditation-mindfulness
Looking for more skills to cope with anxiety?
Jue shared one of her favourite learning guides featuring stress-busting techniques. This guide by Therapist Aid includes instructions for deep breathing, challenging the irrational thoughts anxiety can bring on, and using imagery of something positive and calming to feel more relaxed.