Come to the Table Tuesday: Depressurizing Ourselves

It's that season again. We are turning the corner into the holiday season of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's, etc. And, typically when we celebrate the holidays, we come to the table...and eat!

This morning at the gym I noticed there was a class on eating healthy over the holidays. All good stuff. Pictures of a produce aisle packed with green leafy pretty vegetables. Inspiring stuff for sure.

But it made me wonder. The people in the class looked pretty intelligent. Could it be the first time someone told them to eat more vegetables instead of cookies? Probably not.

So what's up? Why is there a multi-billion dollar industry trying to help people eat...or should I say...not eat? Especially during the holiday season.

Maybe sometimes we all just need to step back, take a deep breath, and step out of the pressure cooker. By taking the pressure off and taking the load off, ultimately could that keep the weight off, too?

Here's a thought: what if instead of trying so hard to lose weight, or keep off holiday pounds, or [fill in the blank with what you stress out about over the holidays here], maybe taking the pressure off ourselves is just what we need.

Depressurization is the way to relaxation. When we are relaxed, we all tend to make better choices. And that includes how we eat...even during the holidays.

How do we depressurize? I think that answer is as different for each of us as the number of hairs on each one of our heads. What relaxes you may be totally different from what relaxes me.

But there are some general themes that help us all relax:

Depressurizing helpers

Touch- Giving and receiving touch is extremely powerful. A self - scalp massage can do wonders in just a short amount of time.

Breathing - In and out, nice and slow. One of the best relaxing tools I know is called the 4-7-8 method. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Ahhhhh.

Focus on the Good - In any situation there is always a good thing. Try to find the good, especially in those you are with.

Reprioritize - Put what is important first and let go of the other stuff.

Depressurize, relax, and enjoy the holidays! Take a load off of what was never meant to be put on.