December 17, 2009
Wishing you a holiday season full of peace, love and sanity! Beware the insanity of a commercialized season. Explore our tips below for how to detox your holiday season by adding a dose of simplicity. Also, announcing our 2010 Holiday Recovery Group Detox... for the indulgences that prevail!
Healthy Blessings, Cindy and Jo
Volume I, Issue 8, December 2009
In this Edition
- Detox your Holidays with a Dose of Sanity
- NEW Online Question and Answer Forum
- Vegan Mushroom Gravy
- 2010 Holiday Recovery Group Detox
- Melissa's Detox Testimonial
Detox your Holidays with a Dose of Sanity
Is the holiday season toxic to your body, mind and soul? It’s supposed to be a time of peace, love and harmony, but the commercialism of the holidays has taken over and created a lot of stress for most folks. And that stress creates unwanted side effects in the mind, body and spirit.
If you find yourself with a massive holiday “To Do” list that makes you feel resentful or tired, you may be living a toxic holiday. The definition of “toxic” includes any substance or experience that is harmful to the body, causing unwanted side effects. Does your experience of the holidays feel hard on your emotions, mind or body?
It is so important to remember the true gifts of the holiday season. The gifts of love, peace and unity are the whole point! And you must give this gift to yourself FIRST! If you can’t be gentle, kind and loving with yourself, it is hard to do so for others. By de-stressing and simplifying your holidays, you give yourself a gift of peace and role model this sane behavior for others.
So slow down this year and find at least one thing that you can say no to in order to have a more peaceful and sane holiday. Give yourself a break and don’t expect perfection in how you “do” the holidays. Every one else is caught up in the same holiday perfectionism, so don’t worry about them taking notice! Do it for yourself and embrace the truth that sometimes LESS is MORE!
Here are some recent signs of holiday sanity that we’ve witnessed:
- a friend who used to send individual cards to everyone on her list replaced the mailed letters with a holiday note to all her friends and family on Facebook;
- our librarian used to bake dozens and dozens of cookies and send them to every family member, but this year instead she sent them little love notes;
- a grandmother of a large family quit gift giving at Christmas time and instead sends a surprise gift at some other time during the year, giving more individual focus to that exchange;
- and, instead of laboriously and expensively shopping for individual gifts for each friend and family member, one of us made 36 jars of homemade salt scrubs in one quiet afternoon.
So how can you simplify, short cut or simply do less for the holidays? Maybe you’ll skip a party or two, use less decorations, make gifts instead of spending too much money, host a white elephant or recycled gift exchange, have a potluck instead of cooking the whole meal alone, give the gift of time with your loved ones, or give to charity in order to remember all that you already have.
It’s also critical to take time out for yourself these next few days and weeks - to exercise, go for a walk, eat well, and truly nourish your own soul. If you have loved ones who aren’t with you this holiday, take time to feel the sadness and acknowledge any grief. By feeling these emotions you’ll let them surface and it will lighten your soul and allow the gratitude and joy to shine through.
Special Detox Tip: New Detox Forum
Do you have a specific question about detoxing and cleansing that needs personalized attention? Wondering how a particular tool, food or detox plan applies to you? Just can't find the answer you need about a food or recipe?
Visit our new Detox Forum to post your question and get a personal answer from us! Whatever your situation or question, we are here to help. Simply post your question through our easy to use form and we'll respond, usually within 24-48 hours.
Join in healthy community and share your experiences... pay it forward by offering support and encouragement to others who post questions. Just click on the comment section to share about a question someone else has posted. We are all here to learn from each other!
Featured Recipe: Vegan Mushroom Gravy
Planning a vegan holiday meal and wondering what to drizzle over your mashed potatoes and stuffed squash? Check out our vegan mushroom gravy for a delicious sauce that adds decadence and festivity to the meal.
Any time you'd like to add a little sauciness to your meal, this gravy is easy to whip up, full of wholesome nutrition and cozy warming flavor. Gravy is a nourishing comfort food that adds creamy zest even to your leftovers. Make a big batch and you can freeze some for future use.
The 2010 Holiday Recovery Group Detox!
Announcing the Holiday Recovery Group Detox!!
Even with the best laid self care plans, the holidays do take their toll on our bodies and minds. All of the festivities, food, hustle and bustle tend to add extra stress, overload and toxic build up.
You do your best to moderate, make wise choices and nourish yourself with healthy foods and wise self care. But this is usually not quite enough and you may need to take special care in January to recover, clear out the toxic build up and re-set your metabolism on a healthy course.
So plan now to spend a week giving yourself the support and nourishment you need to recover and set yourself up for a healthy 2010. Mark your calendar for the Holiday Recovery Group Detox, January 11-18, 2010. Register now and receive a free early bird gift!
Do you need extra support for your detox and healthy lifestyle? Jo delAmor, Holistic Health Counselor, provides professional detox guidance and health counseling. She'll help you create and follow through with a plan that's just right for your specific needs, concerns and conditions.
Click here for details on guided detox programs with Jo. Holiday Gift Certificates are still available!
"Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving."
~Kahlil Gibran
Melissa's 7 Day Detox Story
Planning was a lot of fun! Making a list, for pre-planned meals is a great way to get organized for shopping trips (especially when one has to chase around a little one in the store). I really enjoyed the structure that was brought to my days during the detox. Waking up and knowing exactly what I was going to be doing, instead of dilly-dallying around until lunch, set my days up with surprisingly positive results.At first, I felt the program, for me, would be a breeze. As it wasn't much of a stretch from my normal eating habits. Then in the midst of the week I found it to be quite difficult to stay on track to the commitment. I had to reach deep to find the determination while temptations were present.
If you call feeling rebellious a syptom, I had it. I so wanted to just give in at times (we took a road trip so it was really hard to stick to the program then). So, I had to look deep into myself and ask why was I really doing this? When the answer came, continuing was easy. I felt clear and light, with not only my physical self but with my internal self as well.
I would recommend this plan to anyone who is feeling lost with where they want to be with their diet. This plan is a great way to ease into a healthy wholesome way of living. For that someone who is lost, and feeling like a change is needed to their eating habits, this packet is priceless. For it isn't just a detox plan, it's a way of life. And, who can put a pricetag on finding true health?
Melissa, Oregon