Tips for the Season!

As we enter the exciting holiday and winter solstice season, it’s helpful to remember that along with joy and bells ringing, it can be quite a stressful time. Your expectations may be high, you may have to deal with difficult family members, you may feel pressure to spend money you don’t have on gifts, or host events. Your routine may be disrupted and you can lose your grounding.

How can we get through enjoy the sweetness and manage the stress?

Applying Mindfulness, of course! Doing one thing at a time may sound like common sense, but in times of stress we do tend to multi-task and do it all at 100 miles an hour without taking a breath!

Resist the urge to rush from one activity to the next without awareness. Sometimes these “in-between” moments can actually be profound. Savor those moments standing in a queue, for instance, as moments to catch your breath.

Pause. Regularly. Take time for a moment of stillness. Notice the world around you, what you see, what you smell, what you are touching. Be in the experience fully.

Mindfulness is something we want to integrate into our lives fully to help us be more present and more in the moment, rather than being carried away by the mind spinning stories. Our minds are constantly judging ourselves and others, writing and re-writing the past, obsessing and stressing about the future. We can get so carried away by this ’thinking’ mind that we miss out on what is actually happening in the moment.

When you are in the midst of a holiday activity, whether it’s planning, cooking, or buying a gift, take a moment–feel your feet on the ground, the breath in your lungs, and focus on the task at hand. Remind yourself of what it really is all about. Then be in that moment. When you are choosing a gift, stop and really think of those people and their qualities, when you are cooking -really feel the texture of the food, the smell, enjoy the process etc. 

Don’t be afraid to say “no” to things that feel overwhelming. Most people are so tied up in their own busy-ness that they won’t be too bothered by your saying “no” and it might just be what you need to stay on track.

Lastly – spread compassion. We all need it, especially this year! I love the quote “we are all just doing the best we can, with what we have.” We are all trying our best with the tools that we have, under our unique circumstances. Take that to heart and respond accordingly. Be gentle and practice acceptance and patience with yourself and others. It can be an utter relief!

Enjoy the wonderful bits and try to let go of the rest. Nothing is permanent.

I wish you all the very best for the season!