According to a 2021study done by the American Psychiatric Association, 38% of people surveyed said their stress increased during the holiday season, with 45% of adults surveyed saying they are worried about finding holiday gifts, and 43% of vaccinated adults surveyed said they are worried about getting COVID-19 at a holiday party.
Lobsang Chunzom “Chunzom”,founder of Limitless Health Institute and a Buddhist nun, shares some ways to alleviate stress that only take a few minutes a day yet yield excellent results. Chunzom’s advice includes;
· How meditating for just 2-5 minutes a day can ease stress and anxiety
· How movement, not strenuous or vigorous exercise, but mindful movement like a short walk or ten minutes of stretching can elevate your mood
· How reaching out to friends or family and can increase feelings of connection and happiness
· How taking time to focus on breathing, even for 3-5 minutes, can calm you and refocus your energy
· The importance of making time for gratitude each day and how focusing the positives can elevate your mood and enhance your interactions with others
· LHI’s Inner Essentials, which offers a variety of free meditations to target what we are feeling, such as Uncertainty, which helps us breathe through our fears of the future
You can learn more in this interview:
Why can the holidays be such a stressful time for people?
The holidays are usually filled with a mixture of emotions. Every time another holiday season comes these emotions are automatically aroused and we anticipate how we are going to feel about things before they happen. Memories around traditions are powerful because they come up year after year and become ingrained in us. A good strategy is to reflect on what’s meaningful to you about the holiday and to create new emotional connections around the holiday that evoke happiness, comfort and joy. Creating new connections to the holidays will help you get past the “old emotions” and allow you to see things in a new way.
What are some ways to alleviate the stress that may come up with hosting or attending large gatherings?
When hosting events we spend hours, days and maybe weeks preparing which takes a lot of energy. It is important to recognize this and to stay well balanced in both body and mind in order to block potential stressors. They key is to stay well-nourished and get enough rest. Mental and emotional stress are easily aroused when we are tired, hungry, and overworked. We can all benefit by staying home when we are not feeling well, mentally or physically, and saying no to invitations to preserve our wellness. It’s okay, to create new ways to connect and celebrate with family, friends and coworkers that don’t drain our personal resources and still allow us to connect.
Why is it important for people to have self-care and stress relief practices going into the new year?
It’s important to maintain our own personal self-care and to build upon the methods that work for us. Once we can establish practices that help us to develop our compassion, we are able to share this and support others in the same way. This is the best way to develop and maintain a physically and emotionally healthy lifestyle; by helping others.
Lobsang Chunzom Founder Limitless Health Institute
Venerable Lobsang Chunzom is a Buddhist nun and worldwide teacher of meditation and philosophy in the Je Tsongkapa Tibetan tradition. She is the founder of Limitless Health Institute, a nonprofit organization that collaborates with other caring organizations in NYC to help people experience the link between their own health and happiness and how they care for others. The LHI workshops she designs and facilitates are used worldwide. Chunzom has been a licensed Creative Arts Therapist for 30 years, specializing in dance/movement therapy. She has extensive training in ancient meditation techniques, including a 3-year meditation retreat in silence and solitude. Chunzom has degrees in movement therapy from NYU and UCLA and has provided therapeutic services in hospital settings as well as created programs to help substance abusers, incarcerated youth, and families in crisis.
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