As your inbox floods with holiday special offers and your to-do list grows, finding a sense of balance amidst it all can be challenging, to say the least. Scurrying between work, school performances, errands, and after-school activities while driving on snow-covered roads isn’t exactly calming. But believe it or not, it can be when we take it one step at a time.
When we are present for each moment, life seems to slow down and become more enjoyable. Here are a few tips to bring mindfulness into your holiday season.
- Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is actually less efficient and builds stress and anxiety. The results reflect our efforts. Focus your effort on the task at hand, such as writing one greeting card at a time. Add in a sense of gratitude for bonus good juju – gratitude for the individual to whom you are writing the card and the role they play in your life. Mindfully ticking one item at a time from the to-do list is more productive, efficient and enjoyable.
- Perform random acts of kindness. Kindness decreases depression, reduces anxiety, boosts oxytocin, makes us feel more connected, and even lowers blood pressure. Buy coffee for the person behind you in line. Buy gifts for a family in need. Shovel the neighbor’s driveway. A kind act doesn’t have to be big to be effective.
- Let go of judgment and expectations. It makes life much less stressful. So the cookies or holiday decorations didn’t turn out Pinterest-perfect. In the greater scheme of things, so what? Life goes on, and we all have much to be grateful for.
- Get rest and be kind to yourself. To be our best, we need to take care of ourselves. Although the holidays are about giving to others, to be fully present for another we first must be present for ourselves – mind, body and heart nourished. From there we can show up and share our light and love.
- Trust your inner wisdom. We are bombarded with messages in the media and our inbox and are pulled in so many directions. At the end of the day, what is truly important? Find peace, love and joy and all that is good in your life right now, with gratitude for all that you have today. By appreciating what we have, we come to realize that we don’t need more and already have everything we need.
As my BFF (best furry friend) teaches me daily, life is best lived moment-by-moment with unconditional love. Happy holidays to you and yours!
– Turi Hetherington, Ridge Yoga Instructor, RYT200, Holistic Health Coach, Entrepreneur, Montana Mom and Quiet Seeker of Adventure
Turi will be leading a six-week Intro to Mindfulness & Meditation series at the Ridge starting in January, details coming soon!