The Biggest Holiday Wellness Hack is Doing “Nothing”

I don’t know about you (and I say this every year) but the holidays make me feel a little nuts. Draws out an inherent instinct to do everything, everywhere, all at once. I indulge with a big YES to every invitation, every gathering, every luscious meal, snack constantly, and sleep irregularly. I twist and bend like a red#40 candy cane to meet all those pesky festivity expectations. 

Then comes the guilt…. I compensate with quick fixes or “reset” efforts, hoping a little kick in the pants will snap me out of this nog-induced indulgent haze. But by that point, even my favourite wellness rituals feel just like another thing on a big list of stuff.

REMEMBER: There is no “correct” way to navigate the holiday season.

Countless folks, especially those with a genuine passion for their health, are overwhelmed this time of year. 

The facts are painfully simple… we are not missing out on anything by saying “no”. We are, in fact, forcing momentum where patience is so desperately needed. 

Most of us enter the holiday season carrying chronic low-grade stress. When we pile on more and more expectations, even in the name of wellness and celebration, we overload the very systems we’re trying to support.

The body heals when it feels safe!

The parasympathetic nervous system thrives in rest, and this is backed by science. Rest governs digestion, detoxification, hormone balance, and daily repair. 

Naturopathic Medicine has Always Treated Rest as the Foundation of Wellness

And the holidays are no different. 

Here is what “nothing” looks like when it is medicinal:

• Sitting in the window for ten minutes. Watch the snow fall.
  
  

• Eating one meal in complete silence. And no, it does not need to be an optimized nutrition winter salad any more than it has to be shortbread cookies and cocoa. Eat what makes you feel good.
• Allow your thoughts to drift without redirecting them. Try not to ruminate, but observe where your mind goes when it’s not forced to focus all the time.
• Taking a walk without input from your wacky cousins or distraction from your phone. Sounds easier than it is.

Awareness is its Own Form of Healing

Consider making space for your body’s signals to sound naturally: hunger cues, intuition, emotional patterns, and the reminders of what you need, not what you (or your visiting family) thinks you should want. 

When you slow down and breathe more deeply, cortisol falls, circulation steadies, digestion strengthens. Can you do that as the +1 to your friend’s holiday work party that you aren’t interested in? Say no, don’t go! 

That’s the real holiday, don’t you think?