5-minute read
Thanksgiving just wrapped, and if you're anything like me, you're still discovering mystery containers in the back of your fridge. The dishes are done, family has gone home, and you've got that weird post-holiday feeling where you're simultaneously exhausted and oddly wired.
Here's what most people don't realize: you're sitting in one of the most valuable weeks of the entire year. Not because anything special is happening - but because nothing is. Yet.
Halloween's around the corner, kicking off what I call "the sugar gauntlet" - ten solid weeks of candy, office parties, and well-meaning relatives pushing dessert on you. Then December hits with its full-contact sport of shopping, hosting, and pretending to love fruitcake. By January, everyone's making desperate resolutions while running on fumes.
But right now? You've got this brief window where you can actually catch your breath.
Why This Week Matters
Most people stumble from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year's like they're in some holiday marathon nobody signed up for. Each event depletes them a little more until they collapse across the January finish line, vowing to finally get their life together.
What if you fortified yourself now? What if you went INTO the chaos with reserves instead of already running on empty?
Think of it like this: you wouldn't wait until your car broke down on the highway to fill up the gas tank. So why do we do this with our bodies and minds?
Get Outside Before You Can't
After a long weekend of being "on" - whether you were hosting, being the perfect guest, or just white-knuckling your way through family dynamics - your body is probably screaming for movement. And here's your limited-time offer: the weather is still cooperating.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in three weeks it'll be dark by 5pm, the trees will be bare, and temperatures will be plummeting. Right now though? The leaves are gorgeous, that unmistakable smell of fall is in the air, and you can actually walk outside without needing three layers.
This is that sweet spot we call "minty" - crisp but not brutal. And your body desperately needs it.
Here's something most people don't know: your brain produces serotonin (the happy chemical) in response to natural light. Once winter darkness sets in and you're commuting to work in the dark and coming home in the dark, getting adequate sunlight becomes genuinely difficult. Some studies suggest up to 10% of Canadians experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, with another 15% getting a milder version called the "winter blues."
So this week? Walk. Hike. Bike. Sit outside with your morning coffee. These aren't luxuries - they're deposits in your mental health bank account that will pay dividends when January hits and you're wondering why everything feels harder.
The Leftover Situation
Before those containers become science experiments, get strategic. Freeze that turkey carcass for your next batch of homemade broth. Leftover turkey? Toss it into soup, add it to chili, or freeze it for quick protein additions. Good food shouldn't become guilt sitting in your fridge.
Now's also the perfect time to batch-cook something you can freeze. My go-to is chili from my "Love What's On Your Plate" cookbook. Make it once, freeze it in portions, and you've got instant healthy dinners when November gets hectic. It works for any dietary requirement and transforms into stuffed peppers for variety.
Future you - the one juggling December's chaos - will be incredibly grateful.
The Sleep Recovery You Might Not Know About
If Thanksgiving weekend messed up your sleep schedule (late nights, too much wine, that cousin who wouldn't stop talking), fix it now. Not next week. Now.
And here's another reason to act fast: the clocks fall back soon. That "extra hour" sounds great, but your body doesn't see it that way. It takes days, sometimes weeks, for your circadian rhythm to catch up.
Research shows the spring time change alone causes 150,000 health incidents annually in the US. Heart attacks. Strokes. All from moving the clock one hour. Getting your sleep sorted NOW means you'll handle the fall transition better.
Honestly? Maybe we should just ditch this whole clock-changing thing once and for all. (Not that anyone asked me)
Go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier this week. Just that one change can reset your entire system. Here's why: sleep debt is real, and it accumulates faster than you think. One study found that getting just one hour less sleep than you need for six nights in a row impairs your cognitive performance as much as staying awake for 24 hours straight.
Everything is harder when you're tired - decision-making, emotional regulation, physical resilience. And the holidays are stressful enough already without adding chronic sleep deprivation to the mix.
Find Your Stress Reset Before You Need It
What actually helps when stress builds? A quick walk? Three deep breaths? Five minutes in your car? Try a few things this week while you have the bandwidth.
Because December will hit, you'll be overwhelmed, and in that moment you won't have the mental space to figure out what helps. You need to know NOW, when you're calm, so you can deploy it THEN, when everything's on fire.
This is like running a fire drill. You don't wait until the building is burning to find the exits.
The Blue Jays Bonus
Quick aside: the Blue Jays are in the ALCS. Yes, these games might be giving you heart palpitations. But shared excitement with your community actually reduces stress long-term. When your team wins (please win), your brain releases dopamine and oxytocin - the same feel-good chemicals from positive social connection.
That collective joy? That sense of belonging? That's fortification too.
What Makes This Different
Most wellness advice tells you to wait for January. Start fresh with the new year! New you! Big changes!
But by January, you're already depleted. You've spent two months running on stress hormones and sugar crashes. Trying to make massive changes from that starting point is setting yourself up for added difficulties.
This week, you're not depleted yet. You have energy. You can make small, strategic moves that will carry you through the next three months:
- Get outside while it's nice
- Prep some food
- Fix your sleep
- Find what helps when stress builds
Nothing earth shattering. Just smart fortification before the chaos hits.
The Bottom Line
The next wave is coming. Halloween candy, family gatherings, work parties, travel stress, hosting obligations. It's all heading your way whether you're ready or not.
How you spend this week determines whether you ride that wave or get pulled under.
Most people will ignore this window. They'll keep doing what they're doing until they crash. Then they'll spend January digging themselves out.
You can do something different. Use this calm-ish week to build reserves. Deposit energy in the bank instead of waiting until you're overdrawn.
It's not sexy. It's not a quick fix. It's just strategic preparation that actually works.
The choice is yours. But the window is closing fast.
