Here's our word of the day: dépaysé. It's a REAL French word (instead of my normal 'french' aka naughty words). The word dépaysé means to be outside of one's habitat. Even if we are all going "home" for Christmas, and all the other holidays this season, we still might feel like a fish out of water. Perhaps you are like me and feel like you are the black sheep of of the family. Or you're meeting a S/O's family for the first time or seeing people you don't normally see. It 's stressful either way. That's okay. It's normal to be stressed. Let's not forget to make it a "good" stress. Yes, there are good stresses. and pre-paring for the holidays is a good example. Fun...but busy AF. Let the fact that it's going to be stressful settle in, and reassure and promise yourself that it will be a good stress. and it will stop there. Go no further. As soon as the dial turns over good into bad stress, that's the point when those of us predisposed to anxiety, panic, and depression tend to get swallowed up in the hectic storm of the season.
I'm telling you this because it's exactly what I am telling myself. Again, I want to reinforce the amazing benefits of mindfulness thinking. It helps you to stay in the MOMENT. We want mental snapshots of happy times with our loved ones. Not acting out the motions while going over 20 different lists of to-do's in our mind. It's super hard. I know. I have 3 main goals for the next several weeks while I prepare for holidays, trips, and family time.
I'm telling you this because it's exactly what I am telling myself. Again, I want to reinforce the amazing benefits of mindfulness thinking. It helps you to stay in the MOMENT. We want mental snapshots of happy times with our loved ones. Not acting out the motions while going over 20 different lists of to-do's in our mind. It's super hard. I know. I have 3 main goals for the next several weeks while I prepare for holidays, trips, and family time.
- Work-out EVERYDAY. Move my body. Nothing hardcore. I am not a gym rat, obviously, and I know the importance of taking "recovery" days. Believe me, when I am sore, I just take a small walk or roll around on my foam roller (it's a self massage! if you don't use a foam roller, start now! lol for real. order one, say "merry christmas to me", and look up some nice and easy moves on pinterest. You can thank me later). Click those links I posted there in the paragraph. I made it easy for you. On a personal note, I am on a new medication for my PCOS from my wonderful new OBGYN clinic (love them!) and the medication is helping my insulin to do it's job better and I am finally seeing results from hard work. For the first time in years! I still have a long way to go but hey I found a great group of professionals that are listening to me and are helping me and that's all that matters.
- Go to all of my appointments. Why is that such a struggle for me? Oh yea, anxiety, self sabotage, panic attacks, etc. I'm sick of the excuses. Even trips into the city to see my dermatologist like I did today make me feel better because it's a form of self care. Even if it is cosmetic. No I didn't get any crazy expsensive plastic surgery done. At least not yet. By the way, I highly recommend Daniel Berman skin institute, I go to the location in the city.
- Practice mindfulness every single day. No skipping. Which I have been admittedly doing a lot lately. but I know it's super important when busy and stressful times are coming up. You already know how much I love and recommend the app for android or iphone called Calm. If you click on the main page on your computer there is usually an example of the meditation of the day right there on the page. and the app is free! Once you decide you like it, and you will, you pay yearly for thousands of meditation options.
If you are thinking right now that the LAST thing you want is to add a new daily practice to your life. I agree. It's hard to find the time when I already am familiar with mindfulness meditation. but let me tell you a secret, it doesn't have to be longer a couple minutes and it can be as easy as breathing slowly in and out. Seriously! Isn't it odd that we are so busy and anxious that we forget to do the most natural and healthy thing we can do, breath in and out thoroughly?
I'll give you a Autumn themed idea that you can try. Honestly, this is how I started practicing on my very own when I was 20 years old. I would find a certain chair or place in my home that allowed me to sit up tall and be undisturbed. You can set a timer on your phone for 2-5 minutes or allow yourself unlimited time if you are so lucky. To clear your mind, try picturing a blank piece of paper. Just plain, blank, and white. Nothingness. Thoughts will constantly interrupt you, and we'll get to that in a second. Every time a thought comes up like "I need to add this to the shopping list", or how hungry you are, or a conversation you had earlier that day, drop it immediately and come back to your blank page. You can take as long or as short on this part as you want or just jump right to the next part.
In your mind, imagine walking to a stream or calm river surrounded by trees. Decide what your surroundings look like. How fast is the current? Is there a breeze? Perhaps it's fall and the colorful leaves are falling from the trees. Perfect! Every time you have a new thought or feeling interrupt your blank state of mind while chilling out at your spot by the river, simply take the thought or feeling, place it on a leaf, and watch the leaf slowly flow down the stream until it's out of sight. Then do the same thing with the next one, the next one and so on. Picture your grocery or to-do list and the anxiety on to a fallen leaf and watch it float down the river. Put the conversation with a co-worker you had on a leaf and watch it float away. Recognize your grumbling stomach as simply "hunger" and place that simple label of hunger on to another leaf. Do it one thought at a time.
Please, be patient with yourself. It may be hard and at the end of the 2 minutes perhaps your alarm will go off and you'll feel silly for even trying. However, session by session, these practices add up. and you may surprise yourself at what sort of odd feelings or memories or sensations are reoccurring. Pay attention to those. The fact that they are reoccurring mean something.
If you tried this out, congrats! See if you can do it again before the week is over. Or perhaps try the Calm app. If you are interested and tried my mindfulness suggestion or are looking into the Calm app, leave a comment below and tell me how it's going! I would love to give away a 1 year membership to Calm to someone out there that is interested and that will benefit like I have. It is the season of giving, after all.
I'll give you a Autumn themed idea that you can try. Honestly, this is how I started practicing on my very own when I was 20 years old. I would find a certain chair or place in my home that allowed me to sit up tall and be undisturbed. You can set a timer on your phone for 2-5 minutes or allow yourself unlimited time if you are so lucky. To clear your mind, try picturing a blank piece of paper. Just plain, blank, and white. Nothingness. Thoughts will constantly interrupt you, and we'll get to that in a second. Every time a thought comes up like "I need to add this to the shopping list", or how hungry you are, or a conversation you had earlier that day, drop it immediately and come back to your blank page. You can take as long or as short on this part as you want or just jump right to the next part.
In your mind, imagine walking to a stream or calm river surrounded by trees. Decide what your surroundings look like. How fast is the current? Is there a breeze? Perhaps it's fall and the colorful leaves are falling from the trees. Perfect! Every time you have a new thought or feeling interrupt your blank state of mind while chilling out at your spot by the river, simply take the thought or feeling, place it on a leaf, and watch the leaf slowly flow down the stream until it's out of sight. Then do the same thing with the next one, the next one and so on. Picture your grocery or to-do list and the anxiety on to a fallen leaf and watch it float down the river. Put the conversation with a co-worker you had on a leaf and watch it float away. Recognize your grumbling stomach as simply "hunger" and place that simple label of hunger on to another leaf. Do it one thought at a time.
Please, be patient with yourself. It may be hard and at the end of the 2 minutes perhaps your alarm will go off and you'll feel silly for even trying. However, session by session, these practices add up. and you may surprise yourself at what sort of odd feelings or memories or sensations are reoccurring. Pay attention to those. The fact that they are reoccurring mean something.
If you tried this out, congrats! See if you can do it again before the week is over. Or perhaps try the Calm app. If you are interested and tried my mindfulness suggestion or are looking into the Calm app, leave a comment below and tell me how it's going! I would love to give away a 1 year membership to Calm to someone out there that is interested and that will benefit like I have. It is the season of giving, after all.
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Excellent! This is one of your best blogs yet! I think I feel that way because the information you share in this edition is applicable to nearly everyone. You offer lots of helpful tips for keeping mentally healthy during flurries of activities.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure of what family you are referring... in my family, you are the Sunshine, the honey, the marshmallow, the feather pillow, the biggest heart. But I do think sheep are really cute, regardless of their color.
Thanks! I am always a black sheep- I'm the baby sheep of the family :)
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