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December 24, 2009 6:43 pm
This column features weekly tips and advice from a revolving cast of industry leaders, on hand to discuss your beauty dilemmas, from blemishes to Botox. To submit a question, e-mail celia_ellenberg@condenast.com.
How can I keep my stress levels down with extended family time and general chaos on the agenda for this weekend?
Try to find balance in your total well-being—body, mind, and spirit—by making small adaptations to your normal routine. When you feel worn-out or on-edge, take a time-out to recuperate before re-engaging with your day. Try sitting down in a peaceful area of your office or home and focus your attention outside your immediate priorities. Deep-breathing techniques, exhaling through the mouth and inhaling through the nose, can provide you with a quick and effective form of meditative relaxation. Listen to your body. If you are feeling run-down, don’t overextend yourself, your commitments, and conversations.
Exercise also increases chemicals in our bodies called neurotransmitters that enhance mood. As little as 30 minutes of simple aerobic activity (like walking) can be enough to keep your stress levels in check. Just remember to stay focused in your activity by not consistently checking your phone for e-mails, texting, or watching TV. Load your iPod with your favorite music to keep a steady, rhythmic tempo in your movement and breath.
And finally, maintain perspective. Remember to stay in the present and keep in mind that, although the holidays can bring along stresses associated with finances, office parties, and invitations, at the end of the day this season is a time to be thankful for some of life’s simplest gifts such as good health, home, and family.
Pooja Renee Mottl is a NSCA-CPT certified fitness professional, policy advocate, and preventative health activist. After starting her career on Wall Street, Mottl refocused her attention on wellness and this year launched Mindfully21, a Web site devoted to providing a unique, modern, and realistic approach to living a healthier, greener life.
tags: Mindfully21, Pooja Mottl
If all else fails, run away. I mean it. Disappear for a little while, not long enough for people to call the dogs out on you, but enough time to create an air of mystery. I advocate having a “safe place” to go where no one can get to you until you are ready to re-engage. Maybe a half-bath no one knows about, perhaps your own private bathroom, or anywhere you can go to have a drink of your choice, text your best friend to vent, or sprawl out on the floor in exacerbation. When you return you may have more of a spring in your step knowing no one else there has a “safe place” in your home…just you.
By plumrose on 12/28/09 at 8:41 pm