Holiday help

Stressed yet? I mean, why would you feel stressed? Some of you might still be recovering from Thanksgiving and have a family hangover. Some of you might have gone Black Friday shopping and blown next year’s budget already. And have you seen the traffic? Those prices? Did you get that year-end report done yet? For all that we talk about simplifying, slowing down, experiencing the joy, I haven’t seen a lot of change yet as far as what tends to happen with habits or reported stress levels this time of year.   Maybe you’re one who can avoid stress or handle it well. For the rest, I invite you to consider your faces.

What do you mean, faces?

Dr. Dan Siegel, an expert in interpersonal neurobiology, has proposed that we are more integrated—that is, mentally and emotionally healthy—when we pay attention to how our lives are flexible, adaptive, coherent, energized, and stable. FACES.

• Flexible – we are behaviorally and emotionally resilient in times of stress
• Adaptive – we have the ability to grow and to adjust to changing circumstances
• Coherent – our own narrative hangs together and includes explicit and implicit memory as well as emotional nuances
• Energized – living with vitality, a sense of hope and expectation
• Stable – an awareness of security and predictability, and having good boundaries

Most of us have some aspect of our FACES in a decent place. Even with everything that’s been going on, we’ve found ways, sometimes very creative ways, to keep things moving more or less in the right direction. But if you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, or just done, you could use a FACES lift.

A FACES lift?

What does that look like? Among other things:

• Learning self-regulation techniques and anxiety coping skills
• Setting appropriate, healthy boundaries and getting support in that work
• Working on stomping on the ANTs – reducing automatic negative thoughts

When we are healthier, we handle stress better; we don’t take our aggravations out on coworkers and family; our bodies feel better and we eat healthier; we find more joy and peace in the season we’re in; we stay connected and open in our relationships and communities; and are able to respond more generously to those in need. Do you need a FACES lift? We provide support, encouragement, and knowledge to help you get your FACES lift. Any of us would be happy to chat about what that might look like for you.     If you’re curious about FACES, here are two resources (these are not affiliate links):

• The Mindsight Institute, https://www.mindsightinstitute.com
• Dr. Curt Thompson, Anatomy of the Soul, a Christian approach to integration