What to do for Holiday Season

Holiday season is nipping at our heels, almost here… can you smell it? Just the thought of it gets hearts thumping and bodies sweating. Do you get dragged through the holiday without taking a breath? Is it so busy you end up throwing down your meals “al desk-o” and not taking a breath all day? Do you gain the typical 12 pounds between October and January 1st?

How about we do something different this year? How about we create small moments of connection so that we don’t arrive in January needing a brain transplant. While you may think this is impossible, it may be easier than you think, and a practice you can take into the rest of the year. Cueing the start of the holiday season, with different habits might be just the ticket.

The idea is to build in some micro moments where you just “check in” with your body. This is the start of mindfulness. This is the start of that “moment” where the world fades into the background and you get present with your thoughts. Just this little movement of the conscious brain helps one interrupt the deluge of stimulus coming into us from outside and makes our inner thoughts present.

For some, this moment just means a few seconds of eyes closed and a deep breath. For others, it is just a clear focus on an object in front of them. For me, it is making a yerba mate for myself. This small habit will go far in bringing depth and mindfulness into this otherwise stressful and busy three months. Let’s try it together and report back in January!