1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,100 Hello and welcome to the Awaken Together podcast. 2 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:11,860 I am Jen and I'm Kat. 3 00:00:11,860 --> 00:00:18,840 And today we are going to be talking about the holidays and finding mindfulness through 4 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:20,720 it all. 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:25,660 So the holidays can mean a lot of different things to each and every one of us. 6 00:00:25,660 --> 00:00:28,260 For some, it's a very exciting time. 7 00:00:28,260 --> 00:00:31,840 We might be traveling, visiting with family. 8 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,840 There can be traditions involved and a lot of positive memories. 9 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,280 And for others, it can be a time of grief and sadness and a lot of trauma around the 10 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:42,280 holidays. 11 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:50,620 But regardless of how you view holiday season, the bridge to making it through is mindfulness. 12 00:00:50,620 --> 00:00:56,200 So we are going to talk about all of the things that can help us stay grounded, stay within 13 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:02,640 our body and make us not get through the entire season and then say, what the heck just happened? 14 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,760 I don't even hardly remember what I just even went through, which is where a lot of us end 15 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:12,680 up in January when we just finished holiday season. 16 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:20,200 So I wanted to share first thing first is I really do believe, especially as I've educated 17 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:27,920 myself more on the neurodivergent brain and just the nervous system in general, that a 18 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:33,880 lot of the reason we barely make it through holiday season is because we go through high 19 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,580 levels of overstimulation. 20 00:01:36,580 --> 00:01:42,040 So overstimulation is our nervous system to staying in that stress mode, that overexcited 21 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:43,040 mode. 22 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,120 It doesn't always look like actual stress. 23 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:54,480 It can also look and appear like a heavy levels of excitement, but with a giant uptick of 24 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,880 the nervous system, the stress system also comes a deep and heavy crash. 25 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:04,600 And I think we all have experienced that probably in one way or the other. 26 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,360 So there's so much access tied with the holiday season. 27 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:12,920 We see access in food, access in how we decorate. 28 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:17,400 And there's just a lot more in our visual fields everywhere we go. 29 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:23,400 And there's also just this access and giving food, making food, taking food, access and 30 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,480 giving gifts, receiving gifts. 31 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:31,880 It's so much different than our regular routine that it is a lot for our minds to take in. 32 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:32,880 That's right. 33 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:39,840 Yeah, it's a lot like holiday season just equals excess overstimulation. 34 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:40,840 Right. 35 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:49,320 And I mean, I know that I've already started seeing things in CVS, in the grocery store, 36 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:53,640 online, catering to Christmas and the holidays. 37 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:56,080 And it's still like a month and a half away. 38 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,160 But we hope that this episode is pretty timely with Thanksgiving just around the corner. 39 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,720 And then we're really officially in it. 40 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:03,720 We're in deep. 41 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:08,660 So hopefully this gives us some prep time to kind of take a look at like systematically 42 00:03:08,660 --> 00:03:15,680 how we're advertised to so that we can bring this state of awareness and kind of slow things 43 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:21,140 down when we're in it to find that mindfulness and stay in the present moment while being 44 00:03:21,140 --> 00:03:26,600 rooted and grounded so that we can take in all the good and leave all that doesn't serve 45 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:28,840 us aside. 46 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:34,600 So systematically, like thinking about the stores and the advertisements, we are being 47 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:40,160 shown flashy decorations, things that are meant to get you excited. 48 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:47,700 All of the scents, all of the flavors like cinnamon buns in the oven and turkey and gravy 49 00:03:47,700 --> 00:03:49,260 and mashed potatoes. 50 00:03:49,260 --> 00:03:51,440 They invoke a feeling within us. 51 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:52,440 Right. 52 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:56,000 All the candies and foods like it's everywhere. 53 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:02,680 The colors of red and green, like all of the senses just on fire. 54 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:11,120 And like Jen said, it's exciting, but that excitement can also invoke anxiety. 55 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:16,320 And speaking of anxiety, a big thing that happens around the holidays is visiting your 56 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,120 hometown, being with family. 57 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:26,160 So Jen, I know my take on visiting my hometown and all the emotions that stirs up, but what 58 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,160 does this do for you? 59 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,360 Yeah, thanks. 60 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:35,320 I would love to hear a deep dive on yours too. 61 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:40,040 This is actually in the awakened together mindset. 62 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:44,400 We want to look at the improvements that we also have from all of the things that we have 63 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:46,200 shared with you along the way. 64 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:53,000 And I kind of use my hometowns as kind of a test for myself on how I'm doing. 65 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:58,120 So if my mindfulness practices are actually making a difference, it's all this work for 66 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:02,680 my nervous system and awareness of what I do and why I do it. 67 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:09,040 All of this, I get to kind of test in a high stress situation when I go visit my hometown 68 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,040 in Florida. 69 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:19,960 And yeah, I think the hardest part about going back is as exciting as it is to see a bunch 70 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:25,400 of old friends and revisit places and see kind of what's changed in your hometown. 71 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:32,080 We tend to get called back to older versions of ourselves, even if we've really moved on 72 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:33,720 and changed who we are. 73 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:39,480 People view us and remember us through a certain lens and they don't often see the in between, 74 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:44,080 the moments of growth, all the work you've done, the therapy you've done, all the add 75 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:45,360 ons that have changed who you are. 76 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,660 You just don't see it that easily. 77 00:05:47,660 --> 00:05:52,720 And so when I go back to visit, I mean, I have a lot of different beliefs than I did 78 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:54,040 when I first left. 79 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:59,720 So I'm presenting completely different to the people that have known me one way. 80 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:05,400 And I think I watch myself and I tend to want to go back to older versions of myself. 81 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:10,440 But I've also seen the improvement of that over the years that instead of withholding 82 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:16,000 and showing up a little less authentically, I've kind of said, I'm going to do it anyway. 83 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:21,800 It's a boundary for me to not withhold and then not to just try to make others comfortable 84 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:25,480 and people please just to make it a little bit easier. 85 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:34,200 So I've shared a lot more these last several years of visiting what I'm into, what I do 86 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:36,540 in my day to day life and what it looks like. 87 00:06:36,540 --> 00:06:41,040 And if people give me that face after, then they give me that face after. 88 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,560 And I just have to accept it. 89 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,800 I think me and my family think very differently these days than I think they get very worried 90 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,680 about the path I'm on often because it's very different than what it looks like and 91 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:53,360 how I was raised. 92 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,040 But I know how I feel and that I'm very happy. 93 00:06:56,040 --> 00:07:01,400 And because I've been able to really fully integrate that, I think I can hold off a little 94 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:08,880 bit of the anxiety, inner anger, all the real intense triggers that I used to feel. 95 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,180 I can actually see a pretty big difference in that. 96 00:07:12,180 --> 00:07:17,980 Although I also do a lot of homework while I'm there to kind of keep myself from having 97 00:07:17,980 --> 00:07:22,140 an overstimulation, stress mode, trigger mode. 98 00:07:22,140 --> 00:07:30,820 So I tend to add in space and time, even if it's get a hotel for a night in the middle 99 00:07:30,820 --> 00:07:33,920 of my visit so that I can recharge for a second. 100 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:37,620 Those are the little things that I've started adding in that can make a difference. 101 00:07:37,620 --> 00:07:39,200 So what about you, Kat? 102 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:40,200 I love those boundaries. 103 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:41,200 It's so awesome. 104 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,400 And everything you shared, I'm like, yup, yup, yup, me too. 105 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:47,920 Like we're so alike in that way. 106 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:54,080 And I think a lot of what you said, it boils down to me to permission to show up as this 107 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:56,560 current version of you. 108 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,000 And I love how you said that so well. 109 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:05,040 And it's a big thing that I've noticed that that's how I'm able to feel like myself when 110 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,080 I go back, because it can be a lot. 111 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:08,920 It can be really heavy. 112 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:14,120 Certain areas, even in my hometown, trigger old memories that make me go back to that 113 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:15,120 place. 114 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,680 And it's a little bit of PTSD, I think of like, whoa, what happened there? 115 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:26,200 I was just immediately taken back to 15 years ago, my dark cat days where I didn't really 116 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,440 like myself and I didn't really like how life felt. 117 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:34,600 So it can be very triggering to go back to those areas and just have a lot of stuff stirred 118 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:35,600 up. 119 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:40,720 When now all of the work I've done has gotten me to this awesome place where I feel very 120 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:41,720 healed. 121 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:49,480 And I still know that a lot of family members don't fully understand all of that journey 122 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:53,760 and this lifestyle that I live now, which to me is so beautiful and spacious and full 123 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:54,760 of love. 124 00:08:54,760 --> 00:09:00,480 I've had a lot of people in my family, extended family, unfollow me on social media because 125 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:05,640 of what I talk about and what I preach because it is just so vastly different. 126 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:13,880 So permission to still show up as this version of you as you are now, because everything 127 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,040 that you've become has happened this way for a reason. 128 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,280 And it's beautiful, the transformation that has happened. 129 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:25,460 So we've grown throughout the years and reminding ourselves of that, I think, is a big part 130 00:09:25,460 --> 00:09:27,640 of the journey. 131 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:33,880 So thinking about that, mindfulness. 132 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,920 This is the answer to overstimulation, right? 133 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,100 You said it before. 134 00:09:39,100 --> 00:09:45,560 So we have a few tools to share with you all of in those times when maybe you are traveling 135 00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:52,440 and you're with family or just holidays in general, and you're feeling a bit overstimulating, 136 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:56,240 overstimulated tools that you can come to in those times. 137 00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:00,540 So chances are you might be rushing around a lot. 138 00:10:00,540 --> 00:10:04,600 We have a lot put on our calendars around the holidays. 139 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:09,320 So sitting down for meditation might feel extra tricky. 140 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:15,240 And we know that it's all the more important to sit down and meditate when you feel like 141 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,160 you don't have time for it. 142 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:25,240 But I know sometimes it just feels impossible when you have so much raciness, so much Vata 143 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:30,960 pulling on our last episode going on in your life to just go into that kafa mode. 144 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:32,080 It can feel like a lot. 145 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,760 So here are some tips. 146 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:40,400 Instead of multitasking, try doing one thing at a time. 147 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:46,760 Find mindfulness in your everyday tasks, things that you don't have to add into your life, 148 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,460 like carving out space for things that you're already doing. 149 00:10:49,460 --> 00:10:56,400 So like brushing your teeth or folding laundry or washing the dishes or driving somewhere, 150 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:00,280 things that normally seem mindless. 151 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:03,080 Notice your sensations within them. 152 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:07,120 How does it feel to be washing the dishes? 153 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,000 How does it look? 154 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,520 What kind of bubbles do you see? 155 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:13,880 How does it smell? 156 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:18,040 What does the smell of your soap smell like? 157 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:22,560 Taste, maybe you have a taste in your mouth from something you ate before. 158 00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:23,840 How does it sound? 159 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:25,200 Maybe some squishes. 160 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:31,120 So that's what I mean by bringing awareness back and mindfulness to your everyday actions 161 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:37,120 and thinking about, can you allow yourself to get so fully into the experience that it 162 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:44,200 even becomes enjoyable even for just a second doing your everyday chores? 163 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:46,840 So that is one tool. 164 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,200 Anything to add on that, Jen? 165 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:51,080 Yeah, I love that. 166 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:57,820 And me and Kat are very obsessed with sensory play and sensations in general, but that really 167 00:11:57,820 --> 00:11:59,960 is what meditation is. 168 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:03,720 It's honing in on the senses and your internal state. 169 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:10,280 I think so much we get, yeah, we see this envisionment of stillness and complete silence 170 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,360 and that takes a lot of training to have more moments of that. 171 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:18,200 A lot of it for me is just honing in on one of my senses at a time. 172 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:21,400 And I absolutely love to go outside. 173 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:28,800 Even if it's cold out, I'll grab extra layers, extra blankets, because nature has such a 174 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:32,360 beautiful sensory input that you can get from it. 175 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,840 So going outside, sitting in a chair or laying out even somewhere. 176 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:41,840 I love taking my yoga mat and laying out if I have like a patio I can go out onto. 177 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,840 And just taking in the sky, setting myself. 178 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:50,240 I love to do like three to five minutes of just focusing on visual. 179 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:55,200 So focusing on what I see in front of me and then bringing awareness to what I hear, closing 180 00:12:55,200 --> 00:13:00,280 my eyes, listening to the sounds of nature, which are always very calming. 181 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:05,480 If you did a sensory meditation in the middle of your house, it might not be oh so relaxing 182 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:07,800 as it can be outside. 183 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:12,640 Then noticing what I smell and then noticing what I'm feeling. 184 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:17,820 So feeling the earth supporting underneath me or bringing my hands down and creating 185 00:13:17,820 --> 00:13:18,820 some form of grounding. 186 00:13:18,820 --> 00:13:22,880 If it's not freezing, I love taking my shoes off and putting them outside. 187 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,200 I also like love cold months. 188 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,440 So it's my Vada. 189 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:34,080 But yeah, I think it's nature gives us like such a beautiful sensory scene. 190 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:38,680 So I do think in the middle of the chaos, like going outside and just pausing for a 191 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:42,720 second, even going to do a shorter version of that could be something that you could 192 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:44,400 do in the very middle of the chaos. 193 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,160 Just say, hold on just give me a second. 194 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:52,000 Like you are not obligated to show up and be there for every single person on a hundred 195 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,320 percent. 196 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:57,520 And I have a couple of thoughts that popped into my head as we were talking about this. 197 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:04,020 But I had a real epiphany that I thought of several years ago that has been really helpful 198 00:14:04,020 --> 00:14:10,600 for me and these kind of situations that when I show up a little bit, when I show up more 199 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,280 authentically, so I don't show up a hundred percent. 200 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,880 So maybe I'm having like a day where I am just dead. 201 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:18,320 I don't feel that good. 202 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,840 I don't have a lot of energy to talk. 203 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:25,360 I don't have a lot of energy to be my bubbly normal gen self. 204 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:31,560 I still try to make myself show up when I'm at quote unquote lesser versions of what I 205 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:36,280 think is ideal gen for social situations. 206 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:37,920 And it really is. 207 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,920 There's obviously boundaries with staying in sometimes and letting yourself rest and 208 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:42,920 recharge. 209 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:47,720 But there's also this other way to view it that we do not need to just show up when we're 210 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:54,360 ready to be fully on showing up when we're having one of those mediocre days helps tell 211 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:58,280 everyone around us that they can show up on mediocre days as well. 212 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:03,280 I do think that's a tendency sometimes in certain social situations, maybe even around 213 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:09,040 the holidays that you have to put on this certain mask and persona and it gets exhausting 214 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,600 to keep that mask on all the time because realistically your energy is not going to 215 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,640 be able to be fully consistent from the whole experience of when your family comes into 216 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:21,140 town and when they leave, you just can't stay on all that all that time. 217 00:15:21,140 --> 00:15:25,640 So I think it's important to note that as well. 218 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:30,360 And also I want to dive in just to a couple other boundaries to set because boundaries 219 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:37,560 are the way that we can really navigate the world of everything being too much and seeing 220 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:40,040 what our needs are in the middle of that. 221 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:44,200 So maybe you tell your family what you are willing to talk about and what you're not 222 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:45,280 willing to talk about. 223 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,680 You don't always have to explain fully what has changed, why it's changed. 224 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:55,120 I tend to do that because I love I love stirring up deep conversations. 225 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,880 It's just my blood and I do it. 226 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:00,560 And am I burnt out after sometimes? 227 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:01,560 Yes. 228 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:04,160 Do I probably need to watch this a lot more? 229 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:05,160 Absolutely. 230 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:10,240 But boundaries on what you're willing to talk about and saying that even ahead of time 231 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:14,480 can save you a lot of trouble down the line. 232 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:20,280 Or also, as I said, maybe you don't stay at the house of your and your family where it's 233 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:21,920 going to be so chaotic. 234 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:29,840 Maybe you pick some meals or sometimes where you go and find a set or recharge time. 235 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:34,840 And yeah, you can also in the middle of conversations, remember your communication skills and that 236 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,960 you are able to say, this makes me really uncomfortable. 237 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:44,240 I really don't want to go down that and honoring and speaking out your truth instead of stuffing 238 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:49,320 it so far down and just letting these normal, maybe toxic patterns within your family play 239 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:50,720 out like they always have. 240 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:54,080 You have the power to be able to redirect that with your words as well. 241 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:56,160 Yes, I love that so much. 242 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:01,080 It reminds me of the quote from Ram Dass, if you think you're enlightened, go spend 243 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:02,800 a week with your family. 244 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:03,800 Very humbling. 245 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:04,800 Yes. 246 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:09,960 And I also just thought to like this is my new thing very recently. 247 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:11,840 And honestly, it's going to be forever. 248 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:14,440 But I wear noise canceling headphones. 249 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:19,340 And sometimes I just wear my noise canceling headphones in the kitchen because I'm already 250 00:17:19,340 --> 00:17:23,320 can feel that, you know, sense of nervousness. 251 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:26,800 And sometimes I just need the world to be a little less intense. 252 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:28,360 And I just will put those on. 253 00:17:28,360 --> 00:17:30,640 That makes a difference. 254 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,960 You know, I do my yoga at least three times a week. 255 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,120 That's been a huge mindful tool for me to go back to. 256 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:43,520 And I really try to do any version of yoga, even if it's two postures, 10 breaths, three 257 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,840 times a week in the middle of chaos as well. 258 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:47,840 Definitely. 259 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,000 It's so important. 260 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:54,600 Moving your body on vacation is like underrated, I think. 261 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:58,460 It's something that easily gets kind of pushed into the back burner when you get super busy 262 00:17:58,460 --> 00:17:59,460 with things. 263 00:17:59,460 --> 00:18:02,280 But this is important for so many reasons. 264 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,100 One, it's alone time. 265 00:18:04,100 --> 00:18:09,760 You know, if you can get that alone time or if family will move with you, like, hey, that's 266 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:10,760 great for everybody. 267 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:14,040 You can kind of inspire people to make a healthy choice. 268 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:15,040 Right? 269 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:22,040 Yeah, so moving your body during the holidays, it's going to make you feel like yourself, 270 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:27,400 help you release emotions, work through all of that, get back in your body, out of your 271 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:28,440 head. 272 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,640 And it's also going to make you more hungry so that your metabolism picks up and you can 273 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:39,040 still process all the yummy, delicious foods that are put in front of you. 274 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:43,840 And with that, too, another tool is circadian walks. 275 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:49,720 So this is a massive, awesome, great thing to do, especially now with daylight savings 276 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:50,720 time. 277 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:58,260 We have less daylight happening, and so it's all the more important to still wake up early. 278 00:18:58,260 --> 00:19:03,080 And sometimes with that shift, if you know, before the time change, you are waking up 279 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:07,160 at eight o'clock, your body isn't going to know the difference if you wake up at seven 280 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:08,160 now. 281 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:11,680 One of my clients, I was talking with her this morning and she was saying that it's 282 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:16,140 actually worked out in her favor because she's set her alarm for seven, she used to wake 283 00:19:16,140 --> 00:19:20,400 up at eight, and now she's up an hour earlier, but her body doesn't feel the difference. 284 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:21,400 It doesn't feel tired. 285 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:26,560 And so she's able to make the use of more daylight by waking up that much earlier. 286 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:31,260 And it's really important because seasonal affective disorder is a thing. 287 00:19:31,260 --> 00:19:36,400 Whether you think you are affected by it or not, we are all affected so deeply by the 288 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,080 sun's rays. 289 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:45,000 And at a primal level, we need vitamin D and the sun is a major source of how we're able 290 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,720 to absorb that. 291 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:52,720 So if you're unable due to your work or what have you to get out in the sunlight for an 292 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:59,600 adequate time, which I'd say is, you know, bare minimum 20 minutes a day, I would recommend 293 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:05,040 supplementing with vitamin D, just getting a supplement for the winter months and your 294 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:09,760 body will thank you, your brain will thank you, your mental health. 295 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:13,480 But really the ideal situation is to get out for a walk. 296 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:20,640 So even 10 minutes outside face in the sun, ideally even without sunglasses for part of 297 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:25,540 it so that your body can fully absorb the sun's rays. 298 00:20:25,540 --> 00:20:27,680 Even if it's cold out, just bundle up. 299 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:33,620 It's so important once, twice a day, 10 to 30 minutes doesn't even need to be much longer 300 00:20:33,620 --> 00:20:36,480 than that, if it is kudos to you. 301 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:37,480 That's awesome. 302 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:43,040 But breathing in the fresh air, we are meant to be in nature, we are meant to be outside 303 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,320 and hey, the city is nature too. 304 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:46,640 You're still going to be outside. 305 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:52,800 So take a stroll around the block and just feel the benefits that come to you from that. 306 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:53,800 Awesome. 307 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:55,360 Thank you, Kat. 308 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:56,360 Yeah. 309 00:20:56,360 --> 00:21:02,400 And I think another important thing to remember is the first time you are triggered with your 310 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:06,840 family, you notice that a conversation is getting you heated or you're feeling that 311 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,280 feeling like you feel deeply hurt. 312 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:15,000 I ask for a few minutes to myself and I go and I put my hands on my body and I try to 313 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,760 feel where I am feeling that sense of being triggered. 314 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:21,800 Do I feel it in my stomach, that tightening in my stomach? 315 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,240 Do I feel it in my shoulders? 316 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:26,160 Am I keeping my shoulders held way up? 317 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:32,480 Where am I storing that tension and anxiety in my body? 318 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:38,600 And what I've noticed is becoming aware of it after has started helping me notice it 319 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:40,580 before it even happens. 320 00:21:40,580 --> 00:21:45,320 So if I'm in the middle of a conversation, I might mentally feel fine, but I start noticing 321 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:50,760 those signs in my body before my mind even catches up to my body. 322 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:56,560 And so noticing those things can help you dismiss yourself or in the conversation or 323 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:01,720 keep yourself from getting to that point where you're so triggered that then at that point, 324 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:06,400 it's already going to become very hard to not deflect or say something you didn't mean. 325 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:10,640 This is another really important thing to get good at is noticing and developing that 326 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:16,680 relationship with your senses and your inner body to where that can be your guiding compass, 327 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:21,080 as well as you move through more chaotic times of the holidays. 328 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:24,480 Such a wonderful tip, Jen, and such an amazing tool. 329 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:30,120 We all need that self regulation and the mind body connection is a fantastic way of just 330 00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:35,640 helping us realize when we're in that time of maybe fight or flight being triggered about 331 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:40,800 to snap and just kind of reel it in like, okay, this is happening. 332 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,840 Awareness, calm down. 333 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:44,840 Yeah. 334 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:46,840 Uh huh. 335 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:48,080 Well, this is awesome, Kat. 336 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:54,120 I hope you have an amazing holiday season and you've noticed your triggers and you do 337 00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:58,600 yourself love and you do all the things to enjoy every bit of it. 338 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:00,160 Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. 339 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:01,160 We're so grateful for you. 340 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:02,160 Yes. 341 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:03,160 Thank you. 342 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:18,160 Bye Kat.