Holiday stress? Simple mindfulness tips to protect your mental wellness

The holiday season is a time filled with excitement and joy as plans are made for traveling, gatherings and spending time with family and friends. This time of year, it also can be overwhelming trying to juggle your busy schedule and navigate new family traditions and financial responsibilities.

It’s important you remember to take care of yourself this holiday season and find joy in your surroundings. Focus on what’s important to you. What might be important to someone else might not be the same for you. During the holiday season, it’s important you keep your mental wellness in mind. Make a list and decide what might be some things you can remove.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the stress of the holiday season, try a few of these helpful mindfulness practices from the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability:

—Mindful pausing: Pausing for a moment or two to notice what you can perceive through your senses, moving from thinking into direct experience.

—Mindful breath: Taking three breaths mindfully as an invitation to relax and create space between your thoughts.

—Heart hug: Gently placing your hand over or near your heart space (or imagining holding your hand to your heart) can cause the release of oxytocin, one of our “feel good” hormones. Feel or imagine the warmth of your palm on your body and take a few intentional breaths. Over time your body learns this response and a quick gesture will work.

—Self-hug: Place your arm or arms over your chest or another part of your body and give yourself a hug or imagine giving yourself a hug. This action has the same effect as a heart hug.

—Other gentle touch: Gently rub your hands or fingers together, place your hand on your thigh or place your palm against your cheek. Some people find a light tapping with their fingers at the center below their collarbones reassuring.

—Tuning into sensation: If your movement is limited, you might feel the air as it hits your skin on the face or another part of the body. Experiment to see what works best for you.

—Spend time in nature to become more grounded and reconnect with yourself. You may want to try leaving your phone or electronic device at home when you spend time outdoors so you can connect with your surroundings. Hear the birds sing, listen to the wind blowing through the leaves on the trees or notice birds and other animals.

—Practice mindfulness meditation to help you rest your attention on the present. Sit quietly and focus on your breath, another anchor-like ambient sound (background or surrounding noise), an object in the room or another part of your body, like your hands or feet. When thoughts, feelings and emotions come into your awareness — and they will — gently notice them. You can even name them to yourself — thoughts are here, planning is here, fear is here, anxiety is here — and then let them go and return to your breath or other anchor. It’s just like training a puppy repeatedly; you return to your breath or other anchor. By practicing mindfulness meditation, you are retraining your brain to be in the present rather than worrying about the future or ruminating about the past.

—Practice gratitude by either mentally noting what you are grateful for regularly or keeping a gratitude journal and writing down a few things you are thankful for.

—Don’t forget to do what you enjoy: Exercising, playing a sport, playing a musical instrument, listening to music, painting, sculpting, gardening, spending time with family and friends, or even watching a favorite movie or TV show are all beneficial. It’s easy to get caught up in the to-do list of the holidays and forget to do the things we enjoy.

—Above all else, be kind to yourself.

Kaitlynn Tonn is a family and consumer sciences educator at OSU Extension Wayne County. She can be reached at 330-264-8722 or tonn.13@osu.edu.