Hey you, getting buried under the pressure of the holidays, I see you. You are not alone.
Christmas isn't my favorite.
I see the beauty that is around me, and all that I have to be grateful for,
but guess what? The holiday is still really hard to navigate.
The month of December is the end of another year, and kind of a reminder of that ever ticking clock. That's a lot to sit with.
The meaning of the season varies for everyone.
For me, it’s the end of a cycle.
A toast to winter.
A hint of hope on the horizon.
A celebration of light.
A reminder to cultivate more peace.
The reason for the season is hard to find because it's buried under noise, decor,
and everything, everywhere telling me to BUY MORE STUFF!
Consumer culture, has really done a number on it.
This image imposed on us, of what our holiday should look like, and all the activities we are expected to do, requires more energy than I have to expend.
Could we take a collective deep breath, and agree to chill with that?
I know I'm not alone. The holidays are hard for many people for many different reasons.
Loved one’s we’ve lost are painfully absent, expectations are high, money is tight, the social pressure to be cheerful... “the most wonderful time of the year” is actually really difficult for most of us.
Depression hits pretty hard for me around this time of year. I always feel like I’m being swept away in a sea of stress, struggling to stay afloat, with no say in the matter.
All that frenzied energy around me, threatens to swallow me whole.
The things we truly need this time of year like quiet, down time, introspection and gratitude for what we have...are seemingly contradicted by all the shopping, parties, and noise.
It can be hard to find the balance.
It can be hard to find the meaning in it all.
Darker days and colder temperatures is nature’s way is telling us to slow down.
Go outside and observe nature on a winter morning. Notice how still everything is?
What I keep coming back to lately is this quote:
If you are like me, you may have rituals and routines set in place for your mental health.
And if your like me, these things get tossed out the window as our calendar starts filling up with other obligations and long to do lists.
Consistency can be a struggle but yoga, meditation, and journaling are practices that help keep me grounded and clear headed. The same distractions keep us from practicing, are the same exact reasons why we need to practice so badly.
“I can't practice because I have too many things to do.”
is basically saying
"I'm too stressed to meditate."
The same people may also be quilty of saying they can't do yoga because they aren't flexible…don't be that person! Anyways, that's a conversation for another day.
Tina Donvito from The Healthy gets it,
“Create a space and a plan for the important things, and then see what else may fit in around them,” she says. “Think ahead about what is always a waste of time in your life and then do not do those things. For example, if you always bake a lot but have most of the cookies and pastries left over, skip it this year.”
Still not convinced? Check out this article: Things you don't have to do during the holidays.
Do what you can, and let that be enough.
Take care of yourself.
Share with me, how do you stay sane this time of year? I’d love to know :-)