With the hustle and bustle of life around the holidays, it becomes easy to forget how fortunate we are to simply feel good.  We have a tendency to not reflect upon life with gratitude and instead take our health and wellness for granted. By being more in tune with some simple and fundamental yet easily overlooked tactics like rest, reflection, and oneness with nature, Dr. Michael Finkelstein offers tips for how to preserve our most important resource…ourselves.

Appreciate challenges: It is just as important to give thanks for life’s challenges as it is for life’s blessings. Truly, if we shrink from every challenge, run from every confrontation or become paralyzed by every fear, inner peace will always remain just beyond our grasp.

Appreciate your green grass: Contentment is never realized through external sources alone, and inner stillness and peace of mind are the foundations of true contentment.  Be happy with what you have. Perhaps you are better off than some of your friends and family, financially or mentally. Remember that, and share the resources you do have, financial or otherwise, to help them find relief in a way that transcends solving immediate problems. A silver lining exists…while you may have to do some work to find it, it is out there.

Hold off on guilt and anger: Stress and negativity can wreck havoc on the body. Emotional or physical stress induces the release of certain hormones which have significant effects on how our body functions, and can make us sick and fatigued. In order to keep your body functioning at its best, including keeping your metabolism stable, make it a rule not to beat yourself up and to take time to look at the positive qualities of life.

Downsize and simplify: We’re so accustomed to our modern day lifestyle – accumulating things, buying more than we really need, and even living beyond our means. In the face of a nationwide and personal economic crisis, take this opportunity to recalibrate your lifestyle and learn to live with less. Clean up your spaces, both physical and internal – remove clutter from your home and your mind. Empty your closets and drawers of the things you don’t need, and take stock of what’s going on in your head and heart, making the changes you can to simplify your life.”