Oh no! Where did the time go? How could it possibly be November already? Wasn’t it just April, or wait, the Fourth of July? How could it possibly be November? That means (shuddering), the holidays are right around the corner!
Yes, it’s true. The holidays are just around the corner, along with all the stress that goes along with them. However, this holiday season does not have to be like all the others. The power to change resides within you.
Old Habits and Patterns Easily Resurface…
As if we don’t have enough to keep us busy. As if our “to do” lists aren’t already long enough with the day-to-day tasks to be accomplished, now we get to add to them. The demands of the season, shopping, baking, more shopping, wrapping, composing a holiday letter, addressing holiday cards, planning family gatherings along with meals to out-do last year’s feasts, and even more shopping, are enough to overwhelm the most capable of us.
With all the added responsibilities imposed on us during the holidays, our commitment to ourselves, including exercise, meditation, journaling, eating healthy, and everything else that we committed to do for our well-being evaporates, literally, into thin air. It is astounding how quickly our thoughts and actions quickly revert to hard-fought old patterns. That hour that we have been devoting to our Pilates class on Saturday morning is the perfect time to get in an hour of shopping before the mall becomes too crowded. The early morning when no one else is yet awake, that perfect time we set aside for meditating and being mindful before we start our day, is the best time for wrapping those packages that prying eyes want to find. Our lunch hour when we make ourselves a healthy repast and sit with our journal or a book we covet to digest along with lunch becomes one sprint-like dash after another through the mall looking for that perfect gift for a significant other, a special friend, our children, or….
STOP….
As our stress mounts and our commitments outside ourselves multiply, we must remember that filling the needs of others is one hundred percent dependent on our being fulfilled. If our wells are dry, if our cups are depleted, we cannot fill the wells or cups of those around us who depend on us to make the holidays a special time.
Take Time to Recharge
So, as the holidays approach and with them our “should do” mantra, remember to take time for yourself. Simple practices, from changing the words you use when describing your days from “have to do” to “get to do,” to more intense practices, such as clearing your home of unused objects that others less fortunate may cherish this holiday season, help to dissipate the stress generally associated with the holidays.
During this holiday season, remember to take time for yourself. Take time to breathe, slowly, deeply and rhythmically. Make time to exercise every day to provide a release valve for the increased stress, as well as to hold in check any weight gain from those delicious holiday feasts. And while the holidays and the parties that are typical this time of year present the opportunity to over-indulge, eat healthy as often as you can. Refrain from skipping meals and increasing the amount of caffeine you consume. Take time to meditate even if only sitting quietly for five minutes in the morning and before lights out. Make it a new holiday ritual for the entire family!
Be Grateful…
The holidays are a wonderful time to gather family about you and remember people, places and times shared. This time of year is also a time to reflect and to express our gratitude for all that we have. Silently, or aloud, acknowledge the gifts in your life. Give thanks for your health, for the love that you receive and give, for the home that you live in, the food that you are blessed with, the freedom that is ours.
Change…
Instead of psyching yourself into a frenzy this holiday season, instead of feeling overwhelmed by a “should do” list humanly impossible to accomplish, vow to make this year different. Commit to enjoying the holidays, moment-by-moment.