Lend A Helping Hand
Science has clinically proven that when we extend kindness to others it releases ‘feel good’ hormones that can be as effective as any anti-depressant.
So if you’re feeling uptight, a bit sorry for yourself, or simply out of sorts,
look around you and see who might benefit from a simple act of kindness.
Stanford psychologist Dr. Megan Jones recommends looking around you
to find others whose needs are greater than your own – whether lending an
ear to a friend who’s struggling, volunteering at a local community program, or simply opening the door for someone at the store. Little helpful
moments can lift your own mood and truly help you connect to the ‘reason
for the season.’
Stress tends to breed more stress. The more uptight you get, the more easily triggered you are by stressors in your environment. Unfortunately, the
more pent up you get, the more likely you also are to eat unhealthy food,
drink sugary drinks more than you would have otherwise, and make excuses for not getting to the gym and for failing to keep up those routines
and rituals that would help you keep your stress in check. The key is to
regularly and intentionally invest in activities that short circuit your stress
response before it highjacks you completely. For instance, when you feel
the stress mounting, take a long deep breath, count to five, and as you
breathe out, exhale all those worries, upsets and anxieties. You could also
pick up a book, walk the dog, have a bath, read scripture, do some
stretches, or do anything that reconnects you to your ‘best-self’ and redirects your attention back to the positive emotions (gratitude, joy, generosity, love) that you want to embody.
At the end of the day, it’s all about perspective. Remember that you have
one life to live and one season every year to celebrate new life, the end of
another year and beginning of a new one. So don’t short change yourself,
(and don’t let anyone else do it, either!), get off of your own back and connect (daily, if not hourly) to what really matters most. Everything else can
wait. Including the baking!
Here’s H \