December...

Happy Friday Everyone!  December 1st has rolled across the calendar, and the beginning of all things Christmas is upon us!  I absolutely love this time of year... surprising people with the perfect gift, amazing meals with friends and family, the house filled with twinkly lights, the warm scents of the forest combined with holiday baking and cinnamon ... its magical!  Right?

For 10 years now I have been offering healthy baking options, gratitude practices, workouts to beat the holiday 5, and touting the negative affects of stress on our wellbeing; all in an effort to help clients enjoy; not just survive the holiday chaos.  That hasn't really changed; there are always tips and tricks to be offered - but yesterday I watched a Ted talk about stress being good for you? I know right... what?

As is often the case, the lead up that gets you to watch the video is a marketing mislead... surprise!  However, the talk articulated, and added credibility with real scientific data, to something that over the past two years I have been working on with myself and my clients... mindful, in the moment living.

How many times have you heard about how bad stress is for you?  Scroll your facebook or instagram and track how many posts offer ways to eliminate stress, and feel great!  Well first of all there is no eliminating stress; life happens!  As luck would have the teachings that I have been following, and offering with regards to changing your perspective; are in fact the key to not letting stress get the best of you!  You can be stressed; and still be happy & well!

The simple truth is this; it isn't what happens, its how you respond that holds the power over your wellness.  I for one find stress to be a great motivator; most of the time!  I think most will agree that a little stress goes a long way in getting things done; and in those cases stress isn't bad for you at all!  In fact it boosts confidence and creates resilience in our bodies ability to cope with stress!

When you get stuck in a stressful situation, when you let the negative thought process consume you; and isolate yourself to wallow in it... yup stress is bad for you!  The mind space where we stay in stress, stuck in our heads with those feelings of failure and not being enough, that space will kill you! 

Perception is everything!  Training your mind to accept stress (no one is immune - we all have stress - one mans calm is another mans chaos!); recognize that it happens to everyone (we are all unique in our similarities!), and know that you have made it through 100% of the stressful situations life has handed you so far (you're a rockstar right?), and believe that this too shall pass (our lives evolve everyday - nothing stays the same - tomorrow isn't just another day, it can be a better day)!  We truly become what we believe.. it isn't just a meme, it's a scientifically proven fact!  We have the power -  we need to believe in our ability to thrive!

My December challenge this year; in addition to reducing sugar and getting in a minimum of two workouts a week (not optional - just saying!) is this... allow yourself to be in the moment, savour them all (even the long lines, the shortage of time, the annoying family members and coworkers); give yourself permission to be a perfectly, imperfect human; do the best you can, and believe me when I tell you that is enough; you are enough! 

Happy December Everyone... Let's Do This!