A Blizzard of Ideas for Winter Self-Care
Well, we sure had a wake-up call – winter is definitely here in New York City! With just over two feet of snow that hit us over the weekend from Winter Storm Jonas, there’s no doubt that we’re well into the season. I hope everyone has had a safe experience during the blizzard, and the same goes for all of your friends and family. The blizzard definitely got me thinking about a flurry of ideas for self-care, which I wanted to share with everyone. What’s a New York City person to do when these sorts of snowstorms get cranking? Here are some ideas below: Winter Self-Care Tips Prioritize Safety – Of course, making sure your health and basic needs are met, as well as those of your loved ones, is high priority. Making sure you have all of the “essentials” necessary (i.e. food, backup heating, etc.) to cope with potential winter weather hazards is important. Plan an Indoor Activity Pre-Storm – Throw a “storm party,” which can encompass watching TV shows to excess, embracing movie marathons, playing board games, telling stories, or tapping into your creativity! Whether solo, with a loved one, or sharing with a group of friends or family, setting forth a plan of action is a healthy and positive step for coping with winter weather. Plan an Outdoor Activity Post-Storm – Once winter storms pass, it could be fun to tap into your “inner child.” If you’re up for it, you can try sledding, ice skating, or building a snowman! Simply taking in the breathtaking winter sights can also help relieve stress, by appreciating what nature has to offer. Reflect – Engage your senses to appreciate the value of your experience. If you cooked a wonderful meal during the storm, take a pause to appreciate how it tasted. If you took a picture of the snowfall, create time to absorb the beauty of how picturesque it looks. If you had a great laugh with friends over conversation, stop now to think about how that positive experience felt. Reflection can help us reinforce the wonderful times we’ve had, while setting us up for positive experiences in the future. What are your self-care ideas? Wishing everyone a great start to 2016, and a wonderful and enjoyable winter...
Read MoreHow to Beat Holiday Stress
The holidays are here, and this can be an uplifting and joyous time for many. At the same time, stress is often a common culprit during the holiday season. How do you create time and space to enjoy the holidays, without letting stress and anxiety get the best of you? Read on for some of my holiday stress-reduction tips below: 1) Plan time to see your loved ones – Scheduling time to stay connected with your loved ones, near and far, can be a surefire way to enjoy the holidays. Having support around you as the season commences can be empowering and reassuring. Attending holiday parties and gift-giving exchanges, no matter how large or small, can be an effective reinforcement of your appreciation for those that you love and care for. You can also meet and make some new connections, too! 2) Appreciate – Say thank you and express gratitude to those around you: to your coworker who makes you laugh, to that familiar face at the checkout counter, to the delivery person. You may not know everyone on a deep level, but acknowledging others and their acts of kindness can go a long way towards reinforcing your own sense of well-being, as well as your concern for others. 3) Make a list, and check it twice – Externalize all that you need to do by taking control of it as best as you can. The act of writing down projects and associated tasks is a healthy step in the right direction! 4) Take part in the season – Have fun with all that the season has to offer! There are wonderful holiday displays, places to window-shop, and plenty of sights to see during the holiday season. Watching holiday movies in the theater or at home are also fun ways to laugh, be merry, and de-stress. Grab a friend and hop to it! 5) Treat yourself – It’s the season for giving, so don’t forget to be kind to yourself. Getting enough sleep, exercise, and making time for yourself are all important regimens in managing stress and anxiety during the holiday season. Remaining mindful of healthy eating, doing some pleasurable reading, and taking up creative activities are also great reinforcers for self-care. Have a holiday tip you’d like to share? Comment below! Have a safe and happy holiday season, everyone!...
Read MoreBallet Dancer: Two tips beyond the tips of your toes
If you are a ballet dancer, or if you’ve ever studied ballet, you know the feeling that comes over you when you’re up “en pointe,” and you feel as if the sky’s the limit. The energy swooshes up inside of you, and you’re pulled up, elevated, as poised as can be. You’re almost frozen in time … breaking free of earth’s gravity and ascending to greater heights. Whether you’re executing an endlessly lengthened, glorious arabesque, or you’ve managed to stay up on your toes long enough to perform a series of pirouettes and fouettes, that sensation of height, energy, and control is like no other. And of course, balance is one of the key elements that helped get you there! I see a lot of parallels between life and dance, probably because of my own history as a ballet dancer. I’ve learned that just as balance is crucial in dance, it is also vitally important in life. Every day is a balancing act! How do we achieve balance? In my work as a psychotherapist, when I’m in session with dancers, musicians, actors, and other types of artists, a theme regularly emerges: artists often struggle as they work tirelessly to perfect the artistic integrity of their craft. It is very easy to get caught up in that one piece, that one performance, and focus can significantly narrow to achieve a masterful outcome. This type of dedication, discipline, and concentration is required. It is a given, and necessary for artists. But what about the rest of your life? Balance is key. Balance is what can actually help you to excel artistically. Here are two tips that may help you achieve balance in other areas of your life, beyond the tips of your toes: 1. Pay attention to your relationships Be sure to maintain contact with your loved ones. It can be very easy to become isolated when you’re so hard at work on your artistic ventures. Try your best to maintain contact with at least one close friend or family member in your social support network on a daily basis, if possible, to prevent increased isolation and to combat potential depressive symptoms. I know, I know … schedules and rehearsing can all get a bit overwhelming, and it feels like there is no time for anything else. But with constant developments in social media and other forms of communications technology, there’s really no excuse to not be connected: our loved ones are closer to us than ever before, often just a click or tap away. Stay in touch with the outside world! 2. Increase your self-care efforts Burnout as a result of stress is common, and so is exhaustion. Don’t let it wipe you out! Instead, take control. Be sure to replenish yourself by getting enough sleep, and by eating healthy, balanced meals. Relaxation techniques, meditation, visualization, and breathing exercises can also help you to secure your equilibrium. If you’re experiencing physical pain, don’t let it go unchecked. We’re human, and injuries happen. Sometimes, we’re prone to rationalizing to ourselves instead of listening to our bodies, because we want to keep going out of fear that our role will be given away, or that another opportunity won’t arise for us in the future. Please don’t succumb to this thinking! It’s much better to figure out what is going on with your body than to push through and possibly do additional harm. Injuries are among the most common pitfalls in a dancer’s life, so please be sure to get any unusual aches and pains looked at closely by a doctor. Prevention is...
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