5-Finger Breathing

Give me 30 seconds and I’ll show you a super simple way to stop stress in its tracks as soon as you start to feel it!

It’s called 5-Finger Breathing, and it goes like this:

1. Hold one hand in front of you, palm facing up.
2. Use the index finger of your opposite hand to trace along the outline of your fingers.
3. As you trace up the outside of your thumb, take a deep breath in.
4. As you trace down the inside of your thumb, slowly breathe out.
5. Repeat this in-and-out breathing for each finger: inhale as you trace up, exhale as you trace down.
6. Continue until you’ve traced all five fingers and feel more calm and centered.

This works because deep and slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which makes you feel calm and relaxed.

Plus you can do it anytime and anywhere.

Prevention is the best medicine, especially when it comes to stress. If you start to make a habit of noticing when you feel stressed and taking a moment to reset, you’ll train your body to be more resilient and navigate the holiday stress like a boss.

Keep your energy up!

It comes down to 3 things. As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, here are some things I do:

1. Light: Direct morning sunlight signals the body that it’s time to wake up! On the other end of the spectrum, I power down electronics at night to minimize blue light exposure before bed.
2. Movement: If the weather isn’t ideal, it can take more commitment to exercise every day. Time to try out some indoor options, like yoga or weights.
3. Food: It only makes sense to shift our eating patterns toward warmer, cooked, and nourishing foods for late fall. Time to pull out that stew pot!

If you’ve never thought about adjusting your routine to the seasons, I encourage you to think about what feels good for your body as the weather changes and tune in to what it’s asking for.

Take a Shake Break!!

Our bodies were not meant to sit 8, 10, or 12 hours a day. So if you need to sit for work, taking short breaks to get up and move can keep your energy up and your brain alert.

All you need to do is:

• Stand up and start shaking in whatever way feels good.
• Shake your hands, feet, arms, legs, shoulders, and (of course) your hips.

Shaking can loosen up tense muscles, get your circulation and lymphatics flowing, and relieve stress.

Try a gratitude rock!

If practicing gratitude can improve sleep, mood, and wellbeing, then the key is remembering to do it. Try a gratitude rock!

What’s a gratitude rock?

This is a small rock (or any special item) you keep in your jacket pocket, desk drawer, or anywhere you’ll happen to notice it throughout the day.

The idea is that when you see or touch that rock, you remember to think of something you feel grateful for in that moment.

Feeling grateful is a health hack most people never think about!

Studies show it can improve mood as well as sleep and possibly even some aspects of physical health.

If you’ve tried keeping a gratitude journal or jar in the past and not kept up with it, the gratitude rock might be something easier to try out.