This time of year can be tough if you have Lyme, Autoimmune, Mold, Mental Health, or Mystery Illness Issues.  

Things that wouldn’t bother a typical person, can set us off and knock us down for days or even weeks. 

Here are 4 tricks that you can use to help keep you from going into total overwhelm this holiday season.

1. Breathe.  I know what you are thinking.  Don’t I do that every day???  And it has not helped me so far.  I mean my gosh Heather could be any more captain obvious lol? 

If you are shallow or chest breather it keeps your body in fight or flight never letting your body and mind fully calm or slow down.  Start with box breathing.  Count for 4 in, then do a 4-count hold, 4-counts exhale, and 4-count hold again before breathing in.  Do this 4 to 5 times.  When you get good at that, increase the number try a 5-5-5-5 and work your way up to 8.  You have to practice this daily, and get into the habit of it.  That way when you are in a crisis you will remember to use it.  It will help. 

2. Tapping of EFT.  This easy little tool is a gem!!  I recommend going onto YouTube and looking for videos on tapping and stress or tapping and anxiety, or tapping and … you get the point.  Again this is something you need to practice daily so you get the muscle memory built up so when you are in crisis you remember to use it. 

3. Get your bare feet on the ground or go touch a tree for 20 min.  There are so many research papers out there about the positive health benefits of grounding.  My stepson was giving me lip one day and I sent him outside to the ground for 10 minutes and he came back in a different kid

4. Get some fresh air and movement.  Go for a walk.  Research shows as little as 20 min a day is so beneficial for your brain, mental health, and your detox pathways.  Our Lypmth does not move when we are stationary.  This means we can become toxic and that will add to our stress levels and make us more easy to trigger. 

5. Here is a bonus, but I can not get into too much detail here. Is amino acid therapy.  Taking some supplements that help support our neurotransmitters can really be beneficial during a meltdown and or preventing it.  Email me if you would like more info about that.  

Set yourself up for success.  Put these into practice before you know you are getting into a stressful situation.  It does help.  There is hope! Don’t give up.