How to Reduce Stress, Have Fun & Shovel Snow Safely

Weekly Resource Roundup

Physiological Sigh to Reduce Stress

How we breath and influence our level of arousal. Exhaling calms the nervous system and inhaling stimulates the nervous system. Dr. Andrew Huberman recommends doing the Physiological Sigh to reduce stress. It’s done by taking a double inhale through the nose (think one inhale, then take in another sip of air) and followed by an extended exhale. One to three of these sighs can dramatically bring down the level of stress. Kids do this instinctively when they’re calming down from being upset. Dogs will also do this instinctively as they’re falling asleep.

How to Have Fun

Catherine Price’s book, The Power of Fun, defines ‘True Fun’ as “the confluence of playfulness, connection, and flow.” Whenever those three states occur at the same time it’s what she calls ‘True Fun.’ One way she recommends to bring more fun in our lives is to rebel. Breaking up the monotony of life slows down time and helps us create new memories.

We can rebel against traditions. One lady that didn’t like celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday because she would finish work on Wednesday and it didn’t give her enough time and energy to prepare a big feast for the next day. Instead she chose to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday, giving her Thursday to prepare for the meal.

We can rebel against formality. In my family we created a tradition of Poncho Christmas. One year my cousin purchased a poncho while the family was visiting a small tourist town. We joked about the poncho purchase for the rest of our time together and decided we should all get ponchos for our next Christmas gathering. It was the start to a new silly tradition we look forward to every year. When the ponchos come out, the festivities of eating tamales and playing games starts. It’s a fun way to start our Christmas celebration together.

Tips for Shoveling Snow 

If you’re in a climate with snow and you plan on shoveling this season, it’s important to be aware of how you are moving your bodies when we are shoveling.

• Always bend at the hips, not the back. Lifting the shovel of snow should feel like a squat, keeping the chest up.
• Do not twist. Always lead with the hips and turn your body as whole to unload the snow.
• Keep the load close to your body. The further away the loaded shovel is from the body, the more stress it pus on the low back.

Here’s an infographic showing the proper form.