I love December. The days are shorter and the nights longer and this is the perfect time to be temporarily closed for spiritual maintenance. For me, this is the time to go inward, reflect on my year, and take time to vision what’s to come. Just as nature turns inward so do I. I give myself time to reflect on the year as it comes to a close and ask for insight and inspiration for what is to come.

Wait.What? That’s impossible with all the busyness and rushing of the holiday season you say. The preparation, the gift buying, the cooking, and party going. I don’t have time for spiritual maintenance. I believe you don’t have time not to. And, I’ll let you in on a secret. Finding peace within yourself and peace in the season doesn’t require working harder, doing more, or pushing through. In reality, it requires that you do the exact opposite. Sounds crazy? It works.

When you feel all the busyness and rushing of the holidays piling on you what do you do? I suspect, like most of us, you try to push through. How’s that working for you?

There was a time I did this too. I took on far more than necessary in my belief that I should do more, or be more, and create the perfect holiday for everyone. I got cranky, worn down, exhausted and miserable. I imagine I was miserable to be around, too. The more I continued pushing that boulder uphill the heavier it got. And, without fail, I’d be sick for weeks or even months after the New Year. It took me years to make the correlation between the stress and the illness. The solution was to step aside and let that boulder go. To turn inward and listen to what my heart truly wanted and when I did that, my holidays became far more joy-filled and much less stressful. A few suggestions to get more joy out of your life, especially during the holidays.

1. Forget time, manage your energy! In other words, be present. Time is an illusion that we create when we believe we don’t have enough of it. We shift this when we practice having enough time. When rushing against the clock, focused on what has to get done, my energy becomes scattered and unfocused. When I catch myself in this situation, I give myself permission to stop and breathe. I remind myself I have all the time I need and what needs to get done will get done. Or that I will arrive at my destination in perfect timing. In this way, I’m in the present moment and my energy becomes more peaceful. I don’t always get it right, but when I do I am lighter as I slow down and I always get done what needs to be done or arrive in perfect time to my destination.
2. Do only those things that bring you joy! We tend to overload ourselves with self-imposed obligations. For me, these obligations were my own perfectionism showing up. I was a good mother if my kids wore the right outfits, we had the perfect holiday meal, and I purchased all the right gifts for everyone. Yet, a lot of it felt burdensome and heavy. As you go through your holiday to-do list (or any to-do list for that matter), give yourself the gift of tuning into how these items feel in your body. Does creating the perfect meal seem heavy? What would feel better? Ordering pizza,or buying a ready cooked turkey. Our traditional Christmas Eve celebration is now often a pot luck, or pizza party. What we eat matters much less than the spirit in which we come together.
3. Be temporarily closed for spiritual maintenance. Make yourself and your wellbeing a priority. We can’t pour from an empty cup. Right? You don’t have to wait until you feel overwhelmed to spiritually renew. Take time in your day to connect with your breath, to check in and see how you are feeling. Heavy or light? Joyful or burdened? Ask yourself how you want to feel and do what moves you in that direction. It might be letting go of that to-do all together, or asking for help.

There are lots of wonderful mindfulness apps you can add to your phone to help you check in. I use Insight Timer for short, preset meditations that I can go to for centering. There are other apps that allow you to set a soft interval bell or chime as a reminder to check in and breathe.

Lastly, when you find yourself in the busyness, rushing or scattered and unfocused, become the observer and notice what’s going on without judging or analyzing. When you do, bring yourself back to breathe, to the mindfulness of the moment. After all, judging yourself harshly or criticizing will just pile on more heaviness. Be gentle with yourself.  You deserve the same love and compassion you give to others and the only way to fill your cup is to become temporarily closed for spiritual maintenance.

From my heart to yours,

Photo by Jonas Jacobsson on Unsplash