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holiday

Treat yourself this holiday season

December 18, 2017 by Robert Gracey Leave a Comment

treat yourself

Just because it’s the most wonderful time of the year, doesn’t mean that the holiday season is all holly and lights. Holidays provide an easy way to see how our lives have changed (or haven’t changed) from year to year. They can stir up feelings of sadness, loneliness,  stuckness, and anger. Sometimes, they’re just downright stressful. And that takes a toll on your mental and physical health.

That’s why the greatest gift you can receive this year can’t be wrapped in a bow or put under a tree. But it is one you can give to yourself.

Treat yourself to self-care.

What is self-care?

As we discussed in the last blog post on holistic health, a more comprehensive view of health care should address the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Self-care is a mode of healing that you can provide to yourself and that can improve your health holistically.

Self-care is about knowing what you need and taking the time to do those things that provide you with meaning, comfort, or joy. It’s about taking care of yourself and being as giving to yourself as you are with others (especially this time of year!). It’s truly about self-empowerment!

Need a list to check twice? Here are some ideas and habits for treating yourself this holiday season.

Start a mindfulness routine

The mental and physical benefits of a mindfulness routine are well documented. New research supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and published in the journal Spine even shows that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) can be a cost-effective treatment for chronic low-back pain.

Starting your routine is as easy as taking a deep breath. Then taking another. Then doing that for 1 minute. I teach all my patients a qigong breathing exercise that brings this to light and serves as a reset for all mind-body systems.

If you want to get more serious about mindfulness, there are a lot of really good mindfulness tools out there. Here are just a few:

  • Headspace
  • InsightTimer
  • Aura

Choose who you spend time with

You can’t pick your family, but you do hopefully have control over who you spend time with. Take the opportunity to grab a cup of joe or tea with an old friend or go for a walk with a close family member. Perhaps you even choose to spend some quality time with yourself!

Find your escape

This doesn’t have to be to the beaches of Tahiti. Perhaps it’s into a really cute cat video on YouTube or into a good book.

Listen to your body

Sometimes our bodies need rest, sometimes our bodies need movement. Take a moment to reconnect with your body and find out what it needs. A really great workout at the gym or even a 20-minute moderately fast paced walk can be just as rejuvenating as an extra hour of sleep.

And if you feel like you need a little extra help, we’re open for business until December 23rd and reopen December 27th. Acupuncture can help treat stress as well as pain.

But if we don’t see you until the new year, from our practice, happy holidays to you and yours!

Filed Under: Acupuncture Tagged With: acupuncture, anxiety, health, holiday, lonely, mood, sadness, stress

Give thanks, get healthier

November 20, 2017 by Robert Gracey Leave a Comment

gratitude holistic health mental health thankful

The holiday season is almost upon us. While it can come with stress and sadness, it also provides an opportunity to reflect on the gifts and graces we’ve already been given.

Good gracious

In my practice, I offer lifestyle coaching in addition to acupuncture and holistic medicine. Perhaps not surprisingly, I teach the practice of gratitude to help you improve your own health. And it’s a powerful tool.

Being thankful is linked with mental and physical health

A study published in Personality and Individual Differences in 2012 found that physical health was strongly linked with gratitude. Grateful people were reported to experience fewer aches and pains and feel healthier than other people, essentially because gratitude improved psychological health. Additionally, better psychological health meant that people were more likely to seek medical help when it was needed. This, in turn, improved overall health outcomes.

Grateful people sleep better

Perhaps someone you know has suggested you start a gratitude journal. Before you write off the idea, consider your quality of shut-eye. A 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being found that spending a short amount of time before bed on a gratitude journal reduced worry and pre-sleep arousal, improving sleep compared to those who didn’t journal.

Gratitude increases resilience

Mother-in-law getting on your nerves? Building your resilience for stressful situations is easy as being appreciative. The journal  published a study in 2006 that found that grateful Vietnam War veterans were more mentally resilient and felt the impacts of post-traumatic stress disorder less than vets with lower levels of gratitude.

The mind-body connection

During a medical crisis or difficulty, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by pain and frustrated by the slow process of healing. Simply prioritizing your health enough to seek treatment is a gift that you’ve given to yourself to be grateful for. In many ways, you’re helping to treat yourself.

So, while Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start your practice of gratitude, remember that it’s one you can continue for yourself through the rest of the season and into the new year.

Filed Under: Acupuncture Tagged With: gratitude, holiday, holistic health, mental health, thanks, thanksgiving, treatment

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