Many people feel an after-holiday slump. The busyness of the season may have carried you through, and now the fatigue is catching up with you. So, what are we to do when the excitement is over, and there are still a couple of months of winter left to go?
Research has found that developing a practice of gratitude is beneficial for one's physical, psychological, and social well-being. Since it's free, does not take much time, and can be done in the privacy of your own home, it may be worth trying during these colder months.
Brene Brown studied the connection between joy and gratitude. She believed her research would show that joy led to gratitude; however, the research surprised her. It was the other way around - gratitude actually led to joy.
A gratitude practice is different than having an "attitude of gratitude" or "looking on the bright side of things." For one thing, it is much more intentional than just being optimistic or thankful from time to time.
Let's explore ways to develop a practice of gratitude and see how it impacts your joy this winter.
Developing a Graditude Practice
There are many ways to develop a practice of gratitude; the key is to be intentional and consistent. Having a plan will help you establish the habit of gratitude. Here are some suggestions, but take a moment to think about what would work for you.
- Journal - Start a gratitude journal to write down three things (or more) each day when you wake up or before bed.
- Friends - Invite friends or family to join you in texting each other one thing you are grateful for every day.
- Actions - Think of something you do every day (i.e., getting in the car, taking a lunch break, brushing your teeth). Come up with one thing you are grateful for every time you do it.
- Expression - Write a card or send a text to someone you are grateful for.
- Spiritual - If you are spiritual, prayer or meditation can be times of gratitude.
Developing an Authentic Graditude Practice
To experience the benefits of gratitude, it must be authentic. When we are feeling the winter blues, we may not have much we feel grateful for. But by intentionally looking for things that bring us pleasure, we can authentically cultivate gratitude.
In the midst of an emotionally heavy situation, joy may not seem appropriate. However, it is important to allow yourself moments of joy. Being open to joy does not minimize your pain, and taking a little time to recognize good things can breathe life into your soul during dark days!
This does not mean that we push difficult emotions aside. In fact, denying our difficult emotions can actually harm our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. It is important to allow yourself to lean into these painful emotions and accept them without judgment.
When Dr. Nicole Braton’s father passed away, she decided to “find the joy in the smallest of things.” For 100 days, she intentionally looked for the little things she enjoyed. She found this practice helped her cope during the difficult season. She has encouraged others to join her in "100 Days of Gratitude."
The Little Things
Mindfulness coach Jill Carbone explains, “Life is strung together moment by moment. So often, we race through our days to get to the next big event, holiday, or celebration. Living a fulfilled life requires appreciating all of the moments in between, for that is where happiness truly lies.” So, begin by looking for the gifts in the ordinary - a glass of ice water, your favorite food, a warm bath, hot tea, or a comfortable bed.
It can be something as small as playing a board game with friends, walking to the park, spending time exploring a hobby, reading a book, or remembering the first time you went off the diving board. Thinking about these experiences can bring feelings of gratitude; lean into those feelings for just a moment.
We can also think of people who have invested in us throughout our lives - a special teacher, kind relative, beloved neighbor, or close friend. If that proves difficult, we can take a moment to celebrate our best-loved authors, the musicians who created our favorite song, or other performers that we take delight in watching.
Consider trying one of the suggestions above just for a week. I'd love to hear how it goes and if you noticed any positive results. As always, I am grateful for the chance to walk with you on your journey to health.
Dr. Jamie
Are you among the 30% of Americans expected to set 2026 New Year’s resolutions? If so, don’t just chase goals that sound impressive - focus on what matters most to you.
The most powerful resolutions are grounded in your values - the principles that guide your life when things get busy, messy, or uncertain. When your resolutions align with what you truly care about, they stop being just about discipline or checklists. They start becoming choices that feel natural and bring you closer to a sense of fulfillment.
Before adding a resolution to your list, ask yourself if it is worth your time, energy, and focus. Every resolution comes with a trade-off. Saying “yes” to one thing often means saying “no” to another. So, the question isn’t just what you want to achieve, but what you’re willing to release to make space for it.
Once you have chosen resolutions worth pursuing and identified how to make space for your goals, then it is time to create a plan. The best plans are clear and specific enough to measure progress, but also flexible enough to adjust when life shifts. A practical plan helps you stay consistent while still accepting the realities of your day-to-day life.
Let's explore important steps to choosing resolutions that will set you up for success.
Clarify Your “Why?”
The first step in choosing a resolution is becoming clear about your values. After all, there’s no point in working hard towards a goal that doesn’t align with your values. So, when considering a goal, ask yourself "why".
Examples
"I want to work out more, because I want to stay mobile to be able to play sports with my friends."
"I want to save more money, because I want to be able to travel when I retire."
"I want to eat healthier, because I want to feel more energetic to do the things I enjoy."
* If you struggle with this step, you may have lost sight of yourself in the busyness of life. Reconnecting with your true self is crucial to setting meaningful goals. Journaling can be a helpful tool to explore what you want out of the next year.
Know Thyself Deeper
Next, take a minute to notice your inner experience surrounding your current practice. What drives your behavior? What does the behavior do for you? This is crucial if you are going to set yourself up for success. Don’t skip this step!
Examples for struggling with working out:
"I haven't been working out more, because... there is no room in my schedule."
"I haven't been working out more, because... I am constantly tired."
"I haven't been working out more, because... I feel discouraged that I struggle with the workouts."
Targeted Strategies
You will need different strategies based on the underlying issues that were identified. It is crucial to understand what is keeping you from your goals, so you can choose a strategy that will actually address the challenge.
Examples:
"There is no room in my schedule" - you may need to identify things to give up, outsource, or delegate.
"I am constantly tired" - you may want to have your doctor do some lab work to rule out underlying concerns or start with very light movement.
"I feel discouraged that I struggle with the workouts" - it may help to change the type of workout you do or ask a friend to join you.
Be Specific & Realistic
Goals need to be specific and realistic to be achievable. Resolutions that are unclear or out of reach can leave us feeling like we are striving for something we will never reach. So, take an honest look at your capacity. What is your schedule like? How is your physical and emotional energy? As much as we hate to admit it, we are finite beings with limited capacity. Saying “yes” to one thing will mean saying “no” to something else. Make sure you have a resolution that is worth saying “yes” to!
Example:
I want to work out more, could become... "I will go for a 20-minute walk on my lunch break on M-W-F, instead of scrolling on my phone."
I want to save more money, could become... "I will work one extra shift a month and put the money in a new savings account that I will only use for travel instead of spending it quickly."
I want to eat healthier, could become... "I will eat 3 vegetables with dinner 5 days a week."
Make a plan
What do you need to do to make your goal a reality? Who do you need to involve?
- Conversations: Our resolutions may impact those around us. It will be easier to stay on track when others understand our goals and can support us. Consider involving them in the planning process below.
- Write it down: Use the above steps to come up with a clear picture surrounding the resolution. "I want to work out more, because I want to stay mobile to be able to play sports with my friends. I haven't been working out more, because there is no room in my schedule. I will go for a 20-minute walk on my lunch break on M-W-F, instead of scrolling on my phone."
- Schedule: Putting your plans in your calendar will help you stay on track. It is harder to ignore your goal when it is clearly marked in your schedule.
- Take the first step: It's easy to procrastinate taking the first step. You may not start it perfectly. That is okay; just start!
* If you are focusing on larger goals, breaking them into manageable steps can motivate you and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Hank Ebeling, of H-4 Training, encourages clients to write down 4-5 goals and rank them, starting with what is easiest to change. Make your way down the list, easiest to hardest. Your success will encourage you along the way. As with smaller goals, put specific action steps on your schedule and include when you will evaluate your progress in meeting these goals.
Mindset
Think about your self-talk surrounding resolutions. Is it verbally abusive? If you wouldn’t say it to someone you love, why are you saying it to yourself? We all know children achieve more when encouraged rather than spoken to harshly. Why would it be different for us?
Many people think that speaking kindly to ourselves when we struggle is “letting ourselves off the hook” and will not help us achieve our goal, but the opposite can be true. Sarah Rudell Beach says, “When we fall short, we can gently and non-judgmentally bring our awareness back to our intention. That’s the purpose of setting resolutions - bringing a kind awareness to our behavior, recognizing when we’ve wandered, and beginning again.”
So, speak kindly to yourself and take some time for self-care. It will help prevent burnout and allow you to enjoy your success when you reach your goals.
Let's talk about your health goals at your next appointment. You can schedule online here or call the office at 630-448-0255.
Dr. Jamie
It's time to celebrate the holidays!
Let me remind you that things don't need to be perfect to be enjoyable. In fact, sometimes imperfect is best. It reminds us that we can relax and gives others permission to do so too.
People likely won't remember how clean your house was, the number of desserts, or how tender the ham was - but they will remember how they felt when they were with you.
So, take a moment in your holiday preparations to spend five minutes to breathe deeply, listen to a favorite song, enjoy a cup of tea, or put lotion on your hands - anything to settle your heart and mind.
I hope your home is filled with peace, joy, and health as you experience the magic of the holidays!
Dr. Jamie
*Photo Credit: Becci Hethcoat Photography
I loved playing in the snow as a child; it was the best. You may have enjoyed the winter wonderland as a child, too. Why is it that the snow so often loses its magic for us adults? What happened over the years to make us enjoy the winter less?
Sure, we worry about how bad the roads are going to be, and we are the ones who have to shovel the driveway. But why can’t we reclaim a bit of the magic?
Take a minute to think about how you can enjoy the snow this year. You might have to get creative, so consider anything you loved as a child.
Let's look at a few ideas to inspire you!
Make a Snow Angel
Making a snow angel is a quick way to enjoy the snow, but a mystery snow angel is even more fun. Once, my mom woke up to a mystery snow angel in her driveway. A friend had crept down the narrow tire tracks without making any footprints and leapt off the tracks to make the snow angel. How fun to wake up to a mystery snow angel.
Have a Snowball Fight
Organizing a planned snow battle or playfully tossing a snowball at a loved one can be lots of fun. If you are surprising someone, be sure they will appreciate it. They will likely view it as an invitation to throw some back, so be prepared for lots of laughter and maybe even a stray snowball in your face.
Sledding or Tubing
There are many great hills in the area where you can go sledding. Blackwell's tubing hill can be especially fun for the whole family. The forest preserve is also a great place for other winter activities. Check out what you can do at the forest preserves this year at their Winter Fun Page.
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In today’s culture, we glorify productivity while downplaying the importance of rest. In fact, being sleep-deprived is often worn like a badge of honor.
But rest isn’t wasted time - it’s one of the most important things you can do for your body, your mind, and your overall wellness. Sleep is essential for the neurological, endocrine, immune, musculoskeletal, and digestive systems. When we honor sleep, we support the systems that help us thrive.
We need to stop treating rest like a reward for productivity - instead of a prerequisite for it. It isn’t a luxury; it’s a biological necessity.
Let's shift our perspective on sleep and realize it is an important task we need to prioritize every day.
Is Sleep a Priority?
You may know sleep is good for your health, but do you personally value it? Is it important enough to put ahead of other priorities?
In one study, researchers put a group of people in a stimulus-free room with no clock for 14-24 hours daily. Subjects didn’t know when they went to bed or woke up. Participants slept an average of 12-20 hours the first couple of nights. Over a few days, the participants' sleep began to average approximately 8 hours a night.
How long do you think you would have slept?
Are You Getting Enough?
Here is an experiment you can do to determine how much sleep your body needs. It involves testing your reaction time.
Here’s how...
- Each morning at the same time after waking up, take the reaction time test here https://www.humanbenchmark.com/tests/reactiontime.
- Make a note of your score each day.
- Try moving your bedtime up by 30 minutes on the fourth day. Continue with that amount of sleep for 3 days, checking your reaction time each morning.
- Notice if your score is significantly different with more sleep. Pay attention to how you feel throughout the day. How is your energy level? Is your mental functioning better?
- After a few days, move your bedtime up another 30 minutes. Pay attention to your reaction times and how you feel.
- Repeat the steps in this experiment again until you find a bedtime that seems ideal for you.
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Few things have as profound an impact on your health as proper hydration. Prioritizing it will help your digestion, energy levels, blood volume, performance, skin, and emotional well-being. Without water, you starve every cell in your body, preventing them from working at their best. However, hydration involves more than just drinking water.
Since the fluids in your body aren't made up of straight H2O, the water you drink must have minerals in it. Water filtering systems typically strip away most minerals. If you are drinking plain water (especially if you have a lot of it), you can dilute the complex mineral-rich fluids in your body.
There are a few signs you can look for that may indicate your level of hydration. You are likely drinking way too much plain water if the color of your urine is super light (almost clear). When you are hydrated, you often actually need to use the bathroom much less. Four to five trips to the bathroom each day without waking up at night is pretty standard.
Let's explore why hydration is important and how you can get a handle on your's.
Dehydration's Impact
Dr. Hyman explains, “Water is so essential for our brains that a loss of just 1-2% can significantly impact our cognitive function, making it harder to focus, concentrate, make decisions, or even connect with others.”
Proper hydration impacts the following areas...
- Immune system - hydration boosts your immune system and can help prevent infections.
- Nutrients to cells - water helps deliver vitamins and minerals throughout your body.
- Kidney & liver function - staying hydrated is vital in eliminating waste from your cells. This is crucial for the health of your kidneys and liver.
- Weight regulation - water boosts metabolism, increases satiation, and raises sympathetic nervous system activity.
- Brain function - adequate hydration increases sleep quality, improves mood, and sharpens attention, memory, cognition, and ability to concentrate.
- Joints & skin - having enough water in your system keeps joints lubricated and skin supple.
- Prevention - Staying hydrated can help prevent headaches, irregular periods, and constipation. It helps regulate acid levels in the bloodstream and lowers your risk of anemia and heart attacks.
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