Latest / The Kathie Owen Perspective Podcast / 80. 10 Tips for Mindfulness During the Holidays and More!

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80. 10 Tips for Mindfulness During the Holidays and More! · The Kathie Owen Perspective Podcast

• 0:00
  Today, we're going to discuss mindfulness during the holidays.
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  And I'm going to give you some simple suggestions that offer very good reasons to stay relaxed and enjoy the holidays.
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  Whether at family gatherings or enjoying those awesome seasonal foods.
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  You're listening to the stop, the mind screw podcast.
• 0:20
  I'm your host, Kathie Owen certified fitness trainer and life coach since 2002.
• 0:27
  On this channel, we talk about having a growth mindset, healthy habits, fitness and even some Reality Transurfing and today we're talking about mindfulness during the holidays.
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  Okay.
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  It's the holiday season and stress.
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  And anxiety can hurt any of us any time of year.
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  And today we're going to talk about different ways to deal with that.
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  And.
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  I want to share with you a story about the holidays and what happened with myself?
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  So back in 2007, Was the first Christmas I spent all alone.
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  I have two boys and they were born in the late nineties.
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  I had a major custody battle going on and my ex had a lot of money.
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  So he just took them on vacations whenever he could doing whatever he wanted.
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  And it didn't matter what the custody time said he would bribe them with vacations.
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  I couldn't say, oh yeah, y'all got to come spend time with me where I can't buy you the presents.
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  I'm not taking you on a cruise.
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  You're going to have to just come stay with me for Christmas.
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  And that just didn't work.
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  So what I did was I let go of expectations.
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  I let go of uh, just kind of what I thought about the day of Christmas as it is, because really, and truly when you get down to it, it is just another day.
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  So that first Christmas I spent alone.
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  And by the way, I haven't spent a Christmas with my, both of my boys since 2006.
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  So that's a quite a long time I had to let go of so much just to make sure that everything was still pleasant and happy in, in my world that I could control.
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  Very important to note here.
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  These are the things that I could control.
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  So in that Christmas time, the first one I spent alone.
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  I didn't decorate, but you know, you have to go out into the world and you see everything decorated.
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  So you're obviously confronted with the fact that it is the holiday season.
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  And I also didn't spend time with my family because it would've just been a reminder that my boys were not there.
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  And it just would have, it just would have been a reminder minder that i was really in truly alone and there was a lot of things that i couldn't control going on.
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  So i let go and i let go with enthusiasm in my heart in my mind.How did i do that?
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  Well i focused on my definite chief aim and at the time i was running my own studio and i had my own business going on and I also enjoy writing.
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  And so i started what is called Kathie's Fitness Blog at christmas And the reason i know it's christmas day is because every year on christmas day i am charged for that url From godaddy.
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  And it's just such a great reminder that hey I shifted my perspective.
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  i was sitting at my computer on christmas day starting my blog that was my definite chief aim i knew i wanted to write i knew i wanted to Share the knowledge i had a fitness Out there in the world and it didn't matter.
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  i had my to my dog with me sadie.
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  And she was sitting there on the floor while i was typing at the computer and purchasing that url.
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  Like i said i didn't decorate my house so when i would come home my home was a safe haven for me.
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  Because there were no decorations It was just a reminder that hey it's just another day it's just another day.
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  And that helped me look at the big picture of what really matters in the world and i just felt like so relieved and so some of the techniques i'm going to talk about today are things that i used in my life to help me Have this type of mindset where i could at least still enjoy the time of year And over time i noticed that it just got better and better and better.
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  And so it really truly is all about having a growth mindset coming from a place of power and not Force.
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  That's another thing we're going to talk about in a couple of weeks We're going to talk about power versus force but let's get into today's episode and talk about These 10 mindfulness tips on dealing with holidays and stress and anxiety let's get into the episode.
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  The holidays can be a great time of joy and excitement and happiness, but this time of year can also be a time of stress, anxiety, depression, and sadness.
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  And this can really affect our mental health.
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  So today we're going to discuss some simple strategies that offer very good reasons to stay relaxed and enjoy the holiday season.
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  Whether at family gatherings or enjoying those seasonal foods.
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  I want to share some strategies that can be a great way to reduce our stress levels and help us to enjoy the season more.
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  To me, this is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself and to your friends and your family.
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  Stress is one of the leading causes of depression and anxiety.
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  Considering the pace of our modern lives, we should pause and reevaluate our lives on a constant basis.
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  As Gandi said,"there is more to life than increasing its speed." Let's get to the strategies.
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  Today, I'm going to give you some simple strategies to help add mindfulness to the holidays.
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  And I'm going to give you a 11 different strategies.
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  The first one we're going to talk about is called the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 coping technique for anxiety.
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  This technique has been proven helpful for those with complex post traumatic stress disorder.
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  It is part of a healthy lifestyle too, and a great technique to use during major holidays.
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  If you're anxious at any given moment, simply name five things.
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  You can see four things.
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  You can touch three things you can hear.
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  Two things you can smell.
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  And one thing you can taste this strategy has been proven very helpful in times of panic and anxiety.
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  This will make you feel grounded and in place, and it will distract your mind from your panic.
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  This is a very easy way to place yourself back into the present moment.
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  Reduce expectations is the next one we're going to talk about, you know, expectations are a funny thing.
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  We all have different ways of setting expectations.
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  Maybe we expect childlike worlds during the holidays or new experiences to put us in a good mood.
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  We need expectations, but sometimes it is just the right thing to step back and evaluate those expectations because they can wreak havoc in our lives.
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  If we do not keep them in check.
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  Some ways we can reduce expectations are through gratitude.
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  Catching those assumptions when they happen.
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  Reminding ourselves of what we can or cannot control and seeking to empathize and understand others.
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  This could be an entire episode I could do on expectations and maybe I will do that in the near future.
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  The next one is to focus on others.
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  The holiday season is a great time to focus on others.
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  There are so many opportunities to do so check your community and see where you can provide helpful services to others during the holiday season.
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  Focus on giving what you have to, someone less fortunate.
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  Find someone who needs the talents and gifts you have and share with them, find a friend who may need your help and offer to hang out, be there and listen.
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  And save your advice for later and even validate their feelings.
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  Once you do this, you will see this will improve all areas of your life.
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  Number four.
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  Take some time in nature.
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  The first step is to get outside.
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  Walk walk around the block, breathe in some fresh air and take time to notice things around you while out in nature, try the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 technique and see what you notice.
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  A lot of people tend to get a fixed mindset when involved in the holiday stress makes sense.
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  Right.
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  By taking a moment to breathe.
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  In some nature you may find, this is the perfect gift that you could give to yourself.
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  You returned from that walk refreshed.
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  That walk can be especially helpful if you just had one of those excessive meals.
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  Number five, have a balanced mindset.
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  I realize that everything in nature is balanced.
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  Remind yourself that there is a time and a place for everything.
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  The next time you feel yourself doing everything at once.
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  Step back and take a balanced look at the picture.
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  You might just find yourself with a healthy holiday mindset.
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  The next one's kind of tricky.
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  It's to develop patience.
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  Patience is a skill and a mindset.
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  And during the busy holiday season, it can be tried and tested constantly.
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  But it can be developed.
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  Some of the best ways to develop patience include realizing what you can and cannot control, letting go of the things that trigger your impatience, learning to reframe situations, practicing delayed gratification, and practicing empathy.
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  The next one become more humble.
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  Humility and inner peace go hand in hand.
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  As Kim Blanchard said,"humility is not thinking less of yourself.
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  It is thinking.
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  Of yourself less." The next time that family member tries your patience it just my, be the best time to sit back and become more humble.
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  The next one, get enough sleep and rise early.
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  Hang with me because this can be a very important part of your daily routine.
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  You will be able to plan the day better and maybe even get a quick workout for your exercise routine.
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  If mornings are not the time for you try doing this at nighttime, you can simply switch that early rise to late night time alone if you are a night owl.
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  That extra time may be just what you need to switch to better health in your life.
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  The next one, establish routines along the same lines as waking up early is establishing power routines that will enhance your mindset.
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  Having these routines and rituals give our minds much needed refreshment from the everyday stress and overwhelm that can be found during the holidays.
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  We can even have fitness routines that really melt that stressful time of year.
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  Right out of our minds and even get us ready for the new year.
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  The next one is reflect and reevaluate.
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  When you feel stress coming, take a time out and reassess a situation.
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  Oftentimes stress can arise due to a perceived lack of time and lack of control.
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  So we need to constantly reevaluate and assess.
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  The pace of our lives.
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  On to ensure we stay grounded.
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  Yes.
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  It may take a little bit of work, but I can promise you it will be so worth it.
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  I love notion to help me reevaluate and journal my day-to-day life.
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  So the simple strategies are number one, try the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 coping technique for anxiety.
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  Number two reduce expectations.
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  Number three focus on others.
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  Number four, take some time in nature.
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  Number five, have a balanced mindset.
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  Number six, develop patience.
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  Number seven, become more humble.
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  Number eight, get enough sleep and rise early.
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  Number nine establish routines and number 10, reflect and reevaluate.
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  So in conclusion, It is that time of year when we really need to slow down and relax and enjoy these days rather than regret them.
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  I realize this time of year can Harbor many emotions and stressful times for all of us.
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  Honestly, it's not my favorite time of year.
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  Many things in my own life, prevent me from truly enjoying the season.
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  But I can tell you that having a growth mindset is one of the best ways to enjoy this time.
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  And truly realized that it is simply just another day.
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  It is all in your perspective.
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  And my hope is that this episode gave you a shift in that perspective.
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  Thank you for spending time with me.
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  And I trust that you found this helpful.
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  If you know, someone who can benefit from this, please share it with them.
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  And until next time.
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  I'll see you next time.
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  Peace out and Namaste.