Holidays are mixed blessings where families come together. Laughter and chatter fill the home, but there can also be stressful, especially for those who have a growing business or for those who want to stay fit through the goodies eating time of year. An attitude of health and gratitude this holiday season will go a long way to making it joyful for you and your loved ones.

At Herder and Associates, we focus not only on court reporting and remote depositions but on staying fit. Marty Herder wrote about staying fit through the pandemic and offered tips like going when the gym is less busy, wiping down equipment, and avoiding shared water sources like water fountains.

Health and Gratitude this Holiday Season

Staying active is an important part of a daily routine. Just because it’s the holidays, doesn’t mean you can’t maintain a fitness schedule. In addition to the tips we just mentioned, we offer the following:

• Don’t overschedule. Whether it’s business or personal, don’t overschedule yourself. This can cause undue stress and a feeling of overwhelm.
• Be reasonable. Think about how much time and energy you have and make decisions about your physical and mental health. Maybe you can’t make it to the gym, but you can take a long walk. Maybe you can’t make all the holidays parties, but you can send cards.
• Keep a gratitude journal. Each day, write three things for which you are grateful. This will focus your mind on the positive, rather than the negative. More on this later in this article.
• Turn off the news and social media. These can be overwhelming. Focus instead on friends and family or giving back to the community. The world will still be there when you get back to the news and social media.  

Holidays should not herald doomsday of losing all your year’s progress. Those dedicated seriously in their wellness journey will tell you that it is a journey, continuous but worthwhile.

All journeys require rest areas to catch your breath, refuel, and double-check that you’re on track.

Reconsider holidays as a changeup of your exercises from physical reps of weights to mental reps of gratitude.

Health & Gratitude Matter

Gratitude is putting life on pause to look around you and be thankful for the small, meaningful blessings in your life.

Several studies indicate actively practicing gratitude improves an individual’s mental space. According to the University of Utah Health, gratitude creates a positive change in the brain, and it motivates the recipients of that gratitude to pass it along. This improvement snowballs from a person’s mental state to what a person does with their day.

Practicing gratitude also leads to benefits such as:

• Keeping positive emotions present.
• Embracing good experiences.
• Improving health, sleep, and immunity.
• Building strong relationships.
• Dealing with adversity.
• Decreasing risk of disease.

Flex Gratitude

 As you’re working out, taking a walk, or reflecting, flex gratitude in these ways:

• Pay attention to what is around you. Step into nature, not social media.
• Thank those who’ve helped you through tough times.
• Surprise a loved one or a stranger with an act of kindness.
• Be thankful and encourage others to do so.
• Marty volunteers with the community through Rotary Club. Find what works for you and carve time in your schedule for that.

In this pandemic world, health and gratitude are more important than ever this holiday season. Find what works for you. Identify what and who is most important and focus on them. A long walk or workout will go a long way in shifting your mindset from stress to gratitude.

Stay safe and Happy Holidays!