The holidays are meant to be a season of fun, generosity, and excitement. However, many people might be dealing with extra drama during this time: finances, family, and demands on our time can cast a shadow over this joyous season and the new year. As a result, we may turn to stress eating as a means of regulating the emotions we feel during the holidays and beyond.
The truth is that with all the drama of 2020, colder weather creeping in, as well as the pressure of coming up with new resolutions for 2021, this season may not always leave you feeling hopeful.
However, that doesn’t mean that you need to allow the chaos of the past to negatively affect your future. Here are our top tips to ensure that 2021 is drama-free, happy, safe, and healthy.
- Get Your Beauty Sleep
Sleep allows your body to repair itself, to prevent heart disease, weight gain, and a host of other maladies. While there’s little doubt you have plenty of work to do, including loads of responsibilities around the home and at work, you need your rest. Sleep isn’t just ‘me time’, it’s an essential ingredient for physical and mental health. Cheating yourself in this area simply isn’t worth it. This is doubly true for those who have high ambitions for 2021. You will have a more difficult time achieving things and keeping drama at arm’s length if you don’t get sufficient sleep. Restlessness burdens your immune system and invites the common cold and other ailments a foothold. Equally bad is that cognitive abilities decline when you miss out on at least 7 hours of sleep each night.ย - Stay Active Daily
You might be too preoccupied with responsibilities to go to the fitness center every day. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t go for a brisk walk. Too cold, you say? Try walking the stairs at your residence, play a fitness video (there are loads of free ones on YouTube), or do some jumping jacks. The aim is to stay physically healthy for about 20 to 30 minutes daily and keep the metabolism moving and to help you release tension and worry. Studies show that regular exercise can reduce anxiety, improve self-esteem, and lead to a sense of empowerment. Focusing on physical activity is a great way to triumph over drama. - Take Time For Yourself
It’s ok to spend lots of time with, and caring for, others, but don’t overdo it. Self-imposed anxiety is a burden you shouldn’t have to bear, especially when it is because you’re trying to be all things to all people. Give yourself permission in 2021 to say ‘no’ to people and things that are demanding too much. This said, taking time for yourself isn’t an invite to give up on your diet or exercise. Remember, you do those things for you and your own well-being. - Be Honest With Yourselfย
Lying to ourselves is a recipe for a disastrous 2021, and we can get caught in unnecessary drama as a result. Being honest with yourself means ‘being real’ about your friendships, health choices, family, work, relationships, and personal goals. It’s worth taking five minutes to do some emotional inventory on this point. Being honest with ourselves may not always be comfortable, especially when it means evaluating how we treat others around us (do we tend to gossip, are we dealing with unresolved bitterness, do we show favoritism, do we often interrupt others?). Sometimes drama is a two-way street, and there’s no better time like the new year to determine whether we’re being honest with ourselves. It is a burden-lifting experience, and something that we all need to do.
As always, we wish each one of you the very best in 2021 and beyond. We trust that this year is going to be a drama-free zone, because heaven knows we’ve all had more than our fair share in 2020. Be safe, be well, and here’s to wonderful things waiting for all of us as we enter this new year together.