The holidays, although fun, tend to be a stressful time of year. From travel mishaps to just one too many family members under the same roof, it can be a lot to handle. Unfortunately, this also tends to be the time of year when many of us fall off the wagon of self-care. We binge on sugary and savory snacks, forget to carve out necessary “me time,” and overindulge with alcoholic beverages. Luckily, there are ways to prepare for the holidays that will keep your body in check. Sara Khosrowjerdi MS L.Ac. of House of Healer shares her top tips to keep us all running right throughout the holidays. Keep reading to discover ways to prepare yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally for this holiday season for a local acupuncturist.
Start Taking Milk Thistle
Milk Thistle is a pretty little purple flower that is your liver’s best friend. The purple flower is broken down into either liquid or tablet form and can be added to your daily routine. Sara especially recommends milk thistle whenever you feel you might be doing a bit too much “celebrating.” It is also amazing to add into your routine during a detox, if you take medications daily, or have just finished an aggressive round of antibiotics.
Milk thistle coats the liver to protect it from inflammation and also reduces damages caused by free radicals. It keeps the liver filtering everything through your body as it should, and even has anti-viral and antioxidant properties. If you plan on partaking in some potential liver damaging activities this holiday season, do yourself a favor and start taking some milk thistle pronto.
See More: Ways to Protect Your Energy Over the Holidays
Spray Florida Water + Burn Sage
Even if you are unfamiliar with energy sensitivities, it doesn’t mean you aren’t being affected by other people’s energy. For instance, have you ever been around someone that you just feel exhausted by? The person is completely nice, there is nothing really “wrong” with them but, you just don’t enjoy being in their presence. Well, that would be an energy issue, and this person would be what Sara calls an energy sucker — steer clear of them!
Let’s be completely honest, we all have relatives that we don’t particularly care to be around. You don’t see eye-to-eye, but holiday avoidance is just not a possibility. So during the holidays, Sara recommends ways to protect your personal energy. It might sound strange, but it is actually something very easy to do. Know that when we protect our energy, we also avoid picking up any unnecessary emotional baggage that could lead to fatigue.
Make Time for Exercise + Movement
Yes, the holidays seem to come and go quickly. Everything is a rush and there is never enough time to get everything done, hence why many of us find it difficult to keep up with workout routines. Then we are all forced to play catch up in the new year. Movement, stretching, and exercise are extremely important for your overall health. Besides the obvious benefits, exercise also keeps our Liver Qi {pronounced “Chee”} moving. When the Liver isn’t functioning properly we tend to get irritable, cranky, and downright miserable.
Think about it, the Liver resides right under the right rib cage, below the diaphragm. Whenever we stop our regular exercise, stretching, and movement activities the energy in that area tends to become stagnate. Many people report feeling stuck, sluggish, or even experiencing shortness of breath. Throw in that aforementioned irritability and you have yourself some lovely Liver Qi Stagnation, and it is downright unpleasant. Keep up with your routines as much as possible during this season. Besides burning calories from the slice of amazing pecan pie, the benefits of movement will also keep you in a jolly mood all season long.
Read More: A Therapist Shares How to Prioritize Your Mental Health
Have Quiet Time
After talking about politics with your uncle for two hours straight, we’re sure you need a little quiet time. Never under-estimate the healing abilities of shutting your mind off, even if for 10-15 minutes. Put on your coat {and scarf} and take the dog for a nice walk alone. When we are put in over-stimulating environments our mind and our emotions can sometimes get overactive. This can cause the nervous system to start hitting the gas pedal which can lead you down an emotionally dark path. Keep your spirit happy this season — whenever you feel slightly overwhelmed, simply excuse yourself for a little quiet time, and let your uncle move onto his next victim.
Drink Warm Water with Lemon
This is something that should be added to your daily routine all year round. Starting your day off with a glass of warm water with a lemon wedge is a gift to your digestive system. The warm lemon water acts as a morning bath for your organs. Think of how disoriented you are each and every day before your morning shower. For most of us, that morning shower is completely necessary in order to wake up each day.
When we sleep at night, so do our organs. Then, first thing in the morning, we dump all sorts of sugars, foods, and supplements into our bodies. It’s completely overwhelming to the sleepy system and doesn’t give ample time for your organs to do their jobs properly. The warm lemon water will help your organs to wake up. It will help regulate your system, providing energy and a healthy digestive system. So if you are going to indulge in morning leftovers or that extra piece of pie, start drinking warm lemon water tomorrow.
Wishing everyone a safe, pleasant, and Liver Qi Stagnation free holiday season!
Which of these tips will you be adopting this year? Tell us in the comments!
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