Enjoy this mindfulness practice for holiday stress and find peace of mind this festive season.
The festive season is here again. A time to celebrate, be merry and see the ones we love. We get to take a break from work and let loose for a while. With a mince pie in hand and a paper crown on our head, we are kings and queens of our own Christmassy castles.
It’s painted perfect in songs and in movies, but the reality is quite different.
There’s presents to buy, meals to prepare, family and friends to see, parties to attend and swarms of people wherever you go. Internally, there’s anxiety, expectation, financial pressure, and the fear of bumping into that drunken uncle you’ve been avoiding all year.
Holiday stress is very real for a lot of people.
If you’re one of the many who struggle at this time of year and you want to know how to enjoy yourself more, read on. I’m going to share a simple mindfulness practice for holiday stress that will ease your anxiety and help you to make the most of this festive season.
What makes the festive season so stressful?
Any one, or combination, of the following can cause stress at this time of year:
Busyness. So many things to do and so many people to see, holiday season can quickly turn into a blur of frenzied activity. And everywhere you go, you have to navigate the mass of people who are equally busy and equally anxious.
Time. Buy the presents early. Get the turkey ordered. What time are the Campbells arriving? There’s a great focus on time during the holiday’s and how little you have of it. Clock watching and self-imposed pressure is a major source of stress.
Overconsumption. More food. More sweets. More drinks. This is when your healthy diet goes out the window to be replaced by heavy and calorific foods that drain your energy.
Finance. When you’re in the middle of a financial crisis (like we are now) there’s added pressure in buying presents and planning the festive feast. Can you afford that bike your son/daughter wants? Can you prepare a meal, plus drinks and snacks, for everyone who is expected to visit? Not everyone has the means, especially after the year we’ve had.
Relationships. Relationships can be fun, engaging and rewarding but they can also be complicated as well as emotionally charged. When everyone is together over the holiday’s, and the alcohol flows, many issues, resentments and tensions that have been building up all year, boil over.
Loneliness. Many people are alone at this time of year. Their loved ones have passed on, or live far away, and so they feel isolated. It can be difficult to watch others having a good time with family and friends when you are on your own, and that may cause painful feelings and emotions.
Mindfulness practice for holiday stress
Set aside 5-10 minutes each day of the holidays to slow down and be quiet. These moments are yours to relax, unwind and recover from festive stress.
Let’s begin:
1. Find a comfortable position either sitting, or lying down. You can use a cushion or two for support if you like.
2. Close your eyes and notice any sensations of sitting here. The flow of air in and out of your body. The rise and fall of your torso. The slight pressure on the backs of your legs and buttocks from the surface below.
3. Take a deep breath in through the nose, expanding your abdomen first and then your chest.
4. Exhale slowly through the mouth.
5. Continue to breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth, for a few moments. Slowly. Deeply.
6. Some thoughts may arise, some desires, some To-Do’s. Let them in, then let them go. Resist the urge to react or respond, they are just passing through and will soon fade away.
7. There may be a feeling that has been with you for the past few days. Tension, anxiety, overwhelm, fear, loneliness. Accept that feeling is there and scan for its location. In your shoulders, chest, stomach. Once you’ve found it, take a deep breath in and, on the exhale, let it go. Allow that feeling to dissolve and fade away. With each breath it gets smaller and more distant… until nothing.
8. Sit here for as long as you like, focusing on the pure experience of the sensations in your body. Fully present and connected in this moment.
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Featured Image: @jonathanborba
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