Better Me with BodyByBree
Better Me with BodyByBree
Holiday Self-Care: 5 Simple Ways to Stress Less
Transform your holiday season from a whirlwind of stress to a time of joy and meaningful connections. Join me, Brie, as I share personal experiences and essential strategies that have helped me navigate the chaos of family gatherings and never-ending to-do lists. By setting non-negotiable boundaries and recognizing your limits, you'll learn how to carve out space for self-care amidst the hustle and bustle. Whether it's sticking to a child's nap schedule or scheduling those precious moments of calm as a priority, you'll see how these small changes can lead to a more harmonious holiday experience.
Get ready for our special challenge packed with five self-care strategies to tackle holiday stress head-on. From shielding your energy with firm boundaries to practicing deep breathing, these tactics aim to keep emotional eating and perfectionism at bay. Embrace progress over perfection and focus on the joy of the season. Plus, discover how the Body by Brie training program can support your journey with personalized workouts and custom meal plans, designed to boost your confidence and well-being. Listen now and set the stage for a peaceful and fulfilling holiday season!
Join our Greatest Gift Continuation Challenge for current and returning clients. We're deep diving into Brené Brown's "The Gift of Imperfection" and embracing where we are to make the most of the present. Challenge starts 11/4/24.
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Learn more about your Enneagram personality type in "How Your Personality Affects Your Food Choices, Body Image, and Self-Sabotage"
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Are you looking for a space where you will learn to improve your mental strength, emotional health and heal your insecurities from the inside out? Take the first step to living a more meaningful life with the Better Me with Body by Brie podcast. I'm your host, brie. I'm a certified personal trainer, entrepreneur and mother of three. I've helped empower thousands of women to take action through fitness, nutrition, meditation, personal development and aligning thoughts with action. This podcast is for those who are ready to feel inspired and motivated to live a more purposeful life. Let's grow together. Welcome back to the Body by Brie podcast.
Speaker 1:I'm Brie, and today we're diving into a topic that is so important for all of us holiday self-care. The holidays can be magical, but let's be real, they can also be super stressful. Between family, holiday shopping, hosting and those endless to-do lists, it's easy to forget about taking care of you. But guess what? You deserve to feel calm, centered and in control during the holidays too. So in this episode, we're going to talk about simple, effective ways to put yourself first without feeling guilty about it. By the end of this episode, you'll be ready to handle anything the holidays throw your way with a lot more joy and a lot less stress. Okay, I have five tips for you, but before we get into these five tips Okay, I have five tips for you, but before we get into these five tips, I feel like we just need to talk about how hard it is to be around family sometimes.
Speaker 1:Like, obviously we all love our families, right? But for some reason revert back to that relationship you have with your siblings when you were younger, and it's just so funny how you can get triggered or you can be annoyed. Or even just being in that like small space and having nowhere to go where you can decompress it can be super overstimulating. I don't know about you, but I always feel like at the end of three days, I'm like I'm done, I'm good, I'm ready to go home because I need my space. Like I need my alone time, I need my structure and my routine. As fun as it is, it can be stressful. And then add on top of like this year I'm hosting 25 people for Thanksgiving. My whole family's flying in and I'm already like okay, checklist in my mind it's like do I have enough sheets? I need to go grocery shopping. You know how it is. So I feel like this is the time where anxiety levels kind of skyrocket, which is sad because that's not how it should be. It should be really fun and enjoying the people you love, and I truly believe that if you fill your cup first and you do these simple principles, that you will be able to thrive and not just survive the holidays and you'll actually enjoy them instead of dreading them or instead of feeling like, okay, I'm going to be overstimulated. Here we go. I can do this, which sometimes I do because that's me talking to myself here but I really do believe that these steps are going to help you a lot. So, all right, let's go through them.
Speaker 1:The first step is set boundaries like a boss I'm talking about. Like your boundaries are non-negotiable, and a lot of times it's hard because you don't know what your boundaries are Like. You don't know what your triggers are non-negotiable, and a lot of times it's hard because you don't know what your boundaries are Like. You don't know what your triggers are, you don't know what your boundaries are going to look like. So you're, before they come, you're going to have to decide what those boundaries are and what you're comfortable with.
Speaker 1:And for me, like when my baby was little, like my boundary was I'm not missing her nap, like I'm not, because it makes it miserable for everybody else, it's miserable for me. I'm the one that's up late dealing with it. I'm the one that's up in the middle of the night, when she's waking up multiple times a night because she was too over-stimulating during the day. So when my baby was little, I'm like I don't care where we are or what we're doing, I will be home for a nap or I will find a place for her to nap. That was my boundary, and I told Adam before going into it, like, just so you know, I'm not caving on this boundary, so whatever it is. Um, also another boundary that I set was like, if I'm tired and I want to go to bed, I'm not going to force myself to stay up later because of fear that, like I'll make someone feel bad that I'm going to bed early. No, like I'm going to go to bed, and that might sound silly to some, but it's true, Like I'll, I'll push myself and push myself, and then it's just too far. So the first one, setting boundaries and I know that that word can sound a little scary, but it's going, it's going to be your best friend during the holidays.
Speaker 1:So, whether it's like over committing to social events or agreeing to bake those 300 cookies for the school bake sale. When you don't even have time for breakfast, it's really easy to stretch yourself way too thin. So here's the game changer Say no. Say no to things that don't serve you or align with your priorities. You're not being selfish. You are protecting your mental health and your energy. When you say no to something, you're saying yes to more space for you.
Speaker 1:Number two schedule self-care like it's an appointment. So we all know that if it's not on the calendar, it's probably not going to happen. So this holiday season, I want you to treat self-care like an appointment. Whether it's a 30-minute workout, a relaxing bath or even just 10 minutes to sit in silence and breathe or meditate, you have to schedule it. I notice when I'm really good at this and I'm able to like wake up a little earlier, do my meditation and get my workout in, then my cup is full and I'm able to handle everything else that comes with it all the chaos and all the stress, because I filled my cup first. But if I don't do that, you guys, it's bad. Like my social battery is drained very quickly. I have no patience. I'm not a happy version of myself when I don't get that self-time.
Speaker 1:So here's my quick tip is block out self-care time, just like you would for the holiday events or family obligations. You have to think of it as a non-negotiable meeting with your future stress-free self Okay, non-negotiable. And you have to sit down and really think, like, what does make me happy, what does make me feel rejuvenated? Because it's not sitting on your phone scrolling as much as people are like I like to zone out, I need to sit and scroll or I need to decompress. That's not going to help your anxiety, okay. So pick something else besides that. Or like watching TV, like no, we're picking something else that's actually going to help you.
Speaker 1:Number three is don't let emotional eating run the show. The holidays are a time for food and like really good food, but we all know that stress can sometimes trigger emotional eating. So if you're turning to food because you're overwhelmed or anxious, it's time to check in with yourself. And I'm going to put a little plug. Like when I train clients, I always ask or I actually have them take an Enneagram personality test first, because I want to understand their triggers. I want to understand their self-sabotaging habits and their loops and their strengths and their weaknesses, and it is super interesting that certain numbers are prone to emotional eating over others and like, for example, a two. A two like food is a very emotional experience. For a two, they associate food with love, with family, with nostalgia, with like, if gratitude, if they love someone, they'll bake them bread or cookies and bring it to them. So food is a super emotional thing. Also, when they're stressed, they turn to food. Twos turn to food.
Speaker 1:Now I'm a seven and when I'm at a party I'm emotional eating because it's fun. Like I have FOMO and so I'm like, oh, I have to try all the desserts, I have to try all the cake, I have to try the dip, like, this is so fun, I'm having so much fun, and I just eat and eat and eat, and so I always have to coach myself. Like, okay, breathe, it's fine. Like there's always cookies, you don't have to eat five of them, it's okay. If you don't try that cookie, it's fine, and I literally have to coach myself through it.
Speaker 1:So it is very helpful to know your Enneagram personality type and how you look at food and fitness, which actually that's another podcast that I have. I can link that in the show notes for you if you're curious about that aspect. But it is good to know, like, how do I react to food? And I know my weakness is FOMO and I've really tried to work on it and it's helped me a lot. Okay, so I want you to try this when you feel the urge to snack out of stress, I want you to pause and ask yourself am I hungry or am I just feeling overwhelmed? So if it's stress, I want you to swap that snack for a five-minute break to go for a walk or do some breathing exercises, listen to some music that makes you happy. You'll feel so much more in control and when you do eat, it'll be out of a hunger, not emotion. Okay, so doing those little check-ins is key.
Speaker 1:Number four is breathe. Literally. I know it sounds so basic, but breathing is one of the simplest ways to reset your stress levels. So when things start to feel overwhelming whether it's family drama or holiday shopping chaos I want you to take a few minutes and focus on your breath. Okay, so you're going to try this. You're going to take five deep breaths, slow breaths, inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four and then exhale for a count of four and it's this very tiny practice that can shift your nervous system from stress to calm in under a minute. I promise it works. I have my kids do it, my husband do it. Anytime I feel anxious, like Adam will be like everyone. Stop everybody, do your five breaths and we do it together. We breathe in, hold and then breathe out. I promise it's crazy what it does for you, so try it.
Speaker 1:Number five is to let go of perfectionism, and this one is huge. We actually are doing a challenge this month, in November, and it's going to help you let go of your perfectionism and it's giving you the gift it's called the Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown, and each week we're going to go through a certain pillar of how to accept yourself as you are, without these perfectionist expectations that we place on ourselves, and it's going to be so good to implement during the holidays, like this will help you set your boundaries. This will help center and ground you. It's for clients who have worked with us before and they want to start back up. Or maybe you don't want to gain the holiday 10 and you really want to have some sort of maintenance plan so you don't gain weight and you want to feel grounded and centered. This is it, so I want you to look for that. It's the gift to yourself challenge. You'll see it coming up. I want you to watch for that. Okay, I'll give you all the details at the end of the podcast and then I'll put them in the show notes as well.
Speaker 1:But number five let go of perfectionism. All right, this one is for all of my perfectionists out there which, if you understand Enneagram personality types, also like ones and threes and eights, really struggle with perfectionism. Um, you don't need the Pinterest perfect holiday. Okay, repeat after me. I don't need to look like Pinterest. You don't need that to have a meaningful season. Like, it's okay if the tree's a little crooked or the cookies are slightly burnt. What matters is being present and enjoying the moment, not whether everything looks perfect on Instagram, because I will say, like, let's see, two years ago, when I had a newborn baby, and I had my baby two weeks before Christmas or no, three weeks before Christmas Okay, I just wasn't in it. Like I didn't. I will.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'll be honest, I never do Christmas cards, but I let go of a lot of things. Like, I let go of. I never did neighbor gifts. I didn't do matching pajamas, christmas pajamas. I didn't do the Christmas cards. I didn't even take pictures, like you know, when you take pictures on Christmas morning in your cute outfit and you're on your way to church. Didn't even do that and guess what? My kids could care less. They didn't notice because all they cared about was that we were together and we were doing our fun traditions and that we were like playing the Christmas music, drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows. Like they were so content.
Speaker 1:And actually I found out that I hate that stuff. I've realized why am I torturing myself, trying to like, do all the stuff that doesn't matter? And it was super eye-opening to me. So, like, from then on I was like, screw it, I'm not doing that stuff anymore, I'm over it. So I want to remind you to focus on progress, not perfection.
Speaker 1:So the holidays are meant to be fun and have joy, not an endless list of to-do lists or musts or shoulds, and I want you to look at that list and really be like what even needs to be on here? Like, am I just making it harder for myself or do I really need to do this? You know, is this going to bring? Is this thing on my to-do list going to bring me joy? Is it a necessity, or is it going to bring me stress and whittle that thing down. You can do it, mama Whittle down the to-do list. So here's what I want you to do today Pick one of these self-care tips and commit to making it part of your holiday routine.
Speaker 1:So, whether it's setting some boundaries, scheduling in some self-care or simply practicing that deep breathing, just take one step toward a calmer, more peaceful holiday season, because you deserve it. And if you're ready to dive deeper into holiday self-care, I want you to check out my free jumpstart trial. I'm going to link the trial in the show notes. Or you can join our gift of imperfection challenge as well to help you get back on track with your fitness and your mindset and your wellness, and it's the perfect reset for your body and your mind before the new year.
Speaker 1:So let's summarize and do a quick recap of the five self-care strategies that we talked about today. Number one set boundaries and protect your energy. Number two schedule self-care like an appointment. Number three be mindful of emotional eating and check in with yourself. Number four practice deep breathing to instantly reduce stress. Number five let go of perfectionism and embrace progress over perfection. And that was it. There were five, so remember that you really cannot pour from an empty cup, especially during the holidays. Taking care of yourself is not selfish, it's necessary. When you show up for yourself, you can show up better for everyone else. Thanks for tuning into this episode of the Better Me with Body by Brie podcast. I hope you feel more empowered and ready to take on the holidays with less stress and more self-care. If you love this episode, be sure to share it with a friend who could use a little holiday zen. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode Until next time. Keep showing up for yourself and enjoy the season with grace and gratitude.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm going to give you some challenge details that we put together, me and my team, to really help you thrive and not just survive the holiday season. So what we're going to do is read the book the Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown. And it's six weeks. It goes from November 4th to December 15th, so it's before Christmas, but it's nice because it's through Thanksgiving. We're going to give out weekly prizes. We're going to give out two grand prizes, are actually going to win a free year of health, which is going to be really fun, and this is for clients who have already trained with us before, so this is a continuation challenge if you want to come back. So what we're going to do is, if you sign up as a continuation client, you get half off of your first month back, plus you get a free macro count, okay, and then if you decide that you want to sign up for our year of health, you'll get three months for free, a free macro count, plus a free protein bundle. So that's $123 value, just the protein bundle.
Speaker 1:The name of this challenge is your Greatest Gift Challenge, and it's really just going to help you, remind you that the best gift that you can give yourself is the courage to be imperfect and embrace it right. Give yourself the gifts of self-acceptance and strength and growth, and we're going to help you do that. These six weeks we go through six pillars and it's super fun and it's just something that you can do 10 minutes in the morning, get your workout in and just fill your cup this holiday season. So if you're interested, I'll put all of the info in the show notes. Let me know if you have any questions.
Speaker 1:As always, and have such a beautiful day. Thank you for joining us in today's episode. If you liked the content and want to hear more, remember to hit that subscribe button and write a review. As a small business owner, I appreciate it more than you know. If you are looking for a program to help with self-confidence to lose weight, get in shape and work on your mental physical, thank you workouts, custom meal plan made specifically for you and your needs, and communication through the messenger. You are never alone when you're on the Body by Breed training program. Click the link in the show notes to get more information on how to transform your life from the inside out.
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