Take a Deep Breath to Manage Holiday Stress
We are deep into the holiday season, and could there be anything more wonderful—or more stressful? Most Decembers are accompanied by angst over gift shopping, budget balancing, house decorating, party going, cookie baking and family gathering. But 2021 has its own special flavor of stress. We’re here to tell you it’s all going to be okay. Just take a deep breath. We mean it. Take a deep breath. Simply by slowing down your breathing, you can reduce stress during the holidays and every day after.
Unplug and Unwind by Practicing “Shinrin-Yoku,” aka Forest Bathing
Contemporary life is full of millions of stimuli fighting for your attention. We are bombarded with alerts, notifications, pop-ups and announcements. Contrast this type of frantic living with the peaceful experience of being within nature. Trees and flowers demand nothing of you. You are free to notice what you want, or simply to be. This experience has been given a name in Japan. It is called “shinrin-yoku,” which translates to “forest bathing,” using “bathing” to mean immersing yourself within something. The term was introduced in Japan in the 1980s to encourage people to disconnect from technology and spend time outdoors.