Grain Valley News
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form








​news

De-Stress Over The Holidays

12/10/2020

 
Picture
by Tracey Shaffer, RDN, LD
 


     For many of us, the holidays are as stressful as they are joyful. These weeks are filled with family gatherings, eating temptations and special occasions. Add COVID-19 to the mix and this holiday  season’s stress levels may be at an all-time high.
    Stress can have serious repercussions on your health. If you are feeling the world on your shoulders, try some of these lifestyle tips to relax and get a good night's rest.  
 
Meditation
     Meditation has been scientifically proven to help alleviate stress after just eight weeks of a regular practice. Meditation has been shown to ultimately reprogram the brain to become more open and less reactive and better able to cope when life’s stressors start accumulating. Not sure where to start.
 
Try these tips:
     Simply sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes, breath naturally and focus your attention on your breath. Try to maintain this meditation practice for two to three minutes to start. Try a YouTube meditation video for at least 15 minutes and try to follow along before you go to bed or first thing when you wake up.
     Try an app. There are several apps such as Calm and Headspace that can help you start your meditation practice.
     Breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth slowly at least 6 times when you start to feel stress.
 
Be Active
     Exercise is not only good for your waistline and your heart, it is also one of the best ways to alleviate stress. The benefits are strongest when you exercise regularly.
     Exercise can also improve your sleep and a rested mind is a more peaceful mind. Think you have to go the gym and sweat it out? Not at all. Just go for a walk, dance or ride your bike. Any activity such as walking or jogging that involves repetitive movements of large muscle groups can be very stress relieving.
 
Eat to Reduce Stress
     Foods can help reduce stress in many ways. They can help calm you by releasing serotonin, strengthen your immune system, and fight depression. Some of the best foods to combat stress are whole grains, citrus fruits, salmon or other foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids such as chia seeds or flaxseeds, nuts, dark leafy greens, avocados and warm beverages such as herbal tea.
     A diet full of salt, sugar and refined carbs can make coping with stress even worse.
     Whatever you choose to cope with stress this season, just remember that self-care is one of the best gifts you can give to fully enjoy the holiday season.
     Try this stress-relieving recipe:
 
Picture
Picture

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    Covid19
    Covid-19
    Economic-development
    Education
    Elections
    Financial-health
    Fitness
    Food Inspections
    Good News
    Good-news
    Grain-valley-assistance-council
    Grain Valley Fair
    Grain Valley Historical Society
    Grain-valley-partnership
    Grain Valley Schools
    Health And Fitness
    Health-and-fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    Kindness Awards
    Ld
    Letters
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne-meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    On-the-job
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Quick-news
    Rdn
    Recreation
    Sally-whitaker
    Seniors
    Senior-send-off
    Sports
    State Of Missouri
    Technology
    Tracey-shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Waynes-world

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Grain Valley News

Grain Valley News is a free community news source published weekly online. 
(c) 2023 Grain Valley News

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029

Privacy Policy
Picture