Some of us will anticipate the holiday season with feelings of excitement and joy, while others may approach it with a sense of trepidation and dread. For many of us it can bring a mixed bag of feelings in terms of what we might be looking forward to, or what we may be feeling anxious or worried about.
Whilst the holiday season will impact on all four of our PowerBar energies, Mental, Emotional, Spirit and Physical, the ones which we need to take extra care of during this time are our Spirit and Physical PowerBars.
Our Spirit Energy
Our Spirit PowerBar is partly about our sense of connection to others, feeling valued and how much of a contribution we have. If we do not have people to spend the holidays with, or we feel disconnected from those we feel we ‘should’ spend time with, this can lead to feelings of separation and depression.
Absence from work can give us time to stew on life’s questions that we might push aside with ‘busyness’ at other points in the year. The sentiment of the holiday season or the enforced ‘space’ can prompt us to have greater awareness of our sense of contribution and levels of contentment. Depending on our situation, this can lead to feelings of disappointed, apathy and even hopelessness.
The good news is, there are lots of things we can do to take care of our Spirit PowerBar at this time.
Try Something New
This really is fantastic for your Spirit Energy, and it can also give you new routines and a new community too if you join a group that connects regularly.
Write down all the things you have been interested in trying over the years, perhaps have a search on the internet and add a few more, then look over your list and commit to one thing and go for it!
Review and Reflect
If you feel dissatisfied with your situation, it is worth asking yourself if there is something you could do to make a change? Maybe a relationship needs to end, or change. If you would like a different mix of people in your life, what could you do to broaden your circle?
It is easy to focus on what we don’t have and feel helpless or ‘stuck’ in that. In reality, most situations, environments and relationships can change. It may not feel easy, but it is probably possible.
Ask yourself what you ‘could’ do, and make a list. Then pick out one or two items to take forward.
Enjoy
Think of three things you enjoy and try and do one of them every day. It may be that you are feeling lonely, and whilst doing things you enjoy may not address this exact point it will boost your ‘spirits’. This means your Spirit PowerBar will be energised, helping you come back into balance.
Our Physical Energy
Our Physical PowerBar is about the sense of vitality in our bodies and is deeply affected by our diet, sleep, exercise and hydration. These are areas we know to sometimes get neglected during holiday season. The increased levels of social occasions can mean we consume higher levels of alcohol and richer food than we would normally allow ourselves.
Increased social activity and the additional tasks can mean we don’t get to bed as early as we usually do too. Things can be very cyclical with the Physical PowerBar as later nights, worsened diet and increased alcohol can reduce our motivation and energy to exercise and we can end up in a negative physical spiral.
Luckily, there are plenty of things we can do to take care of our Physical PowerBar, and still have a good time.
Nutrition
If the chocolates and mince pies are flowing and you find them hard to resist, then think about what vegetables and fruit you can eat as well. Making sure you still get your 5-a-day will help keep your nutrients up and your body healthy. It may also mean you are too full for that extra mince pie!
Alcohol
When the wine seems to be flowing most days, it can be easy to think we may as well indulge until January. Another thought could be to try and have a 2-3 days alcohol free in the weeks over the holiday season. These could be consecutive days, or if you prefer, a 1 day on, 1 day off approach. This will give your body some time to recover and repair, it will also support your sleep and motivation for nutritious food.
Sleep
The temptation to ‘treat’ ourselves and stay up late to watch a movie or social with others can be bigger in holiday times. Perhaps decide you will let yourself do this a little bit more than normal, but still try and get at least 3 good night’s sleep in a week. Not enough sleep to ‘get by’, but enough to ‘feel good’ and this will help keep your Physical PowerBar ok through the holiday season.
Taking care of your PowerBars is about doing the small things you know will have a big impact on your energy, and give you even more capacity to have a good time.
Take our quiz to find out more about your 4 energies.
Check out more tips and techniques on our Instagram page.
Download the free My PowerBar app for joy booster tips here.
