Truly Happy Holidays —how to really experience peace and joy this holiday season
…And beyond!
I think sometimes the pressure to experience peace and joy during the holidays can actually add to your stress level.
The intense call to be as festive as possible, never to miss out on a social opportunity (especially this year) creates a state of constant busyness that causes your brain to be “on” all the time. You might find yourself thinking in multiple directions at once, feeling responsible for everyone else’s happiness, trying to get waaaay too many things done in a day, and like you just haven’t stopped in while.
While it’s festive and fun, and you aim to be positive and enjoy it, you must acknowledge that this is a busier time of year and too much busyness has the potential to take a person out of a calm state of happiness.
Here are some incredibly handy tips to help you get the most out of this holiday season while tending to your self care and really being there with your loved ones mindfully.
Take cues from nature.
You’ve heard this before. In the northern hemisphere nature is slowing down, heading into a bit of a restorative break so to speak. Yet we humans, who are part of nature, tend to ramp up our activities and tire ourselves out in the run up to the holidays in direct opposition to nature. Remember the importance of slowing down and being introspective. This always seems hardest when we’re particularly busy, but those are the times we benefit from a slower, more contemplative pace. You won’t be able to achieve this all the time, but you can put markers into your days when you can focus on slowing down by:
sitting still and breathing deeply for 5 minutes
reading a lovely book or quietly journaling at the end of the day
mindfully sipping a warm drink with no distractions
following a short guided meditation
taking long restorative savasana (corpse posture) breaks with blankets and bolsters
Keep up healthy routines throughout the season.
It’s really easy to let your healthy habits slip during the holiday season. I believe it’s totally fine to enjoy all the cookies your festive heart desires on those special occasions (even if that’s often throughout the whole season), but only when you’re maintaining your typically healthy habits the rest of the time. Otherwise you’re going to feel unwell and off balance. Your prana (life force energy) will be low and therefore so will your ability to enjoy, participate fully, or contribute authentically to the festivities, your work and your daily life. In other words, you’ll burn out, feel like crap, and probably not treat others the way you want to. When adding in extra activity of any kind, you need your energy most of all. You get that energy from:
sleeping plenty
staying well hydrated
moving healthfully (so do your yoga several times a week!)
eating a balanced, nourishing diet full of all the colors of the rainbow
Make meaningful memories.
We all have a few memories of that awesome gift, but more often than not, what we remember most are the feelings and fun experiences we had during holidays. One of the best things about the holiday season is how we more intentionally cultivate little moments and share special time with loved ones. A favorite annual tradition of mine is what we call our “Lights Train” night. We pick a night along with our best friends to all pile into our 7-seater SUV (serendipitously for us, our little group is made up of 7 people) which we’ve decorated with garland on the outside and twinkly lights across the interior ceiling. We pretend we’re a mini Polar Express, don our pajamas, pass cookies and cocoa around the car, and sing carols all while driving around town looking at houses decorated beautifully with lights. It’s such a simple evening! Barely costs a thing. Yet, every year, even as our kiddos are getting bigger, this is a highlight they look so forward to. At the start of every holiday season they ask when our Lights Train will be then and we all reminisce about past years. Grand is awesome if you have the energy and budget, but if not, keep it simple:
cook and bake festive favorites together
read aloud or listen to a wintry audiobook as a family
play in nature (extra points if you can build a snowman!)
do holiday art or craft projects together — ever thought about hosting a potluck brunch to gather together your favorite people and make each others’ gifts, or pack up supplies for shelters, military service people, or a neighbor in need?
Get as much extra stuff done ahead as possible so you can enjoy yourself when the holiday arrives.
There’s no shame in making things easier on yourself. In fact, I say there’s honor in that! Whatever you can do or delegate to make life a little simpler throughout the months of December and January so that you can be present is a good idea.
contemplate ahead of time what will allow you to maintain a calm state of being and keep up your own personal healthy routines during the holidays and then put a workable plan in place or get whatever support you need weeks in advance if possible
keep it simple if you’re feeling overwhelmed by utilizing takeout dinners, simple gifts bought or made without you stepping foot in a hectic store, making your list and checking it twice over the summer — my personal favorite handy holiday tip is to be done/mostly done gathering gifts by September 1
if you’re hosting, make lists and food shop as soon as you can (I like to gather all non-perishables into one spot in my pantry well ahead of time), and don’t be afraid to ask others to contribute; when you’re planned ahead you can give plenty of notice to friends and family who welcome the chance to help and don’t want you to be stressed
Activate mindfulness in your daily activities.
There are two ways mindfulness can be really, really useful: generally and specifically.
generally — spend as many mindful moments as you can each day by tuning into the present moment completely, like noticing the beauty on your plate of food, the way the ground feels under your feet, listening fully to the breeze, birdsong or rainfall
specifically — use a “one-mindful” technique when you’re overwhelmed with things to do; choose only one thing to do to completion and stay as attentive and undistracted with that task as possible—you can even tell others you’re practicing “one-mindful” and ask not to be interrupted until you’re done
Remember that self care is not selfish, it’s necessary!
If it brings you joy, calms you down, fulfills you, and makes you feel good, you must do it. Regularly in general, but especially during a busy holiday season! This not only will help to keep you in balance, but it will honestly make it possible for you to be there more wholeheartedly for others. What do you love to do for yourself? What makes you feel loved and cared for from the inside out? Here are 12 ideas to jog your imagination so you can be sure to have these lovely things available to you all month long:
enjoy daily / weekly meditation (there are oodles of apps to help make this easy!)
enjoy daily / weekly yoga or any exercise that feels great
take rejuvenating baths and showers with sea salt or sugar scrubs
read or write for the joy of it
create art — color, paint rocks, make peanut butter pinecone bird feeders…
dance and sing to your favorite music
listen to an uplifting talk or podcast
cook nutritious deliciousness
tidy up your home space to keep it a sacred sanctuary for you to relax in
make a daily gratitude list
watch movies / shows you truly enjoy
talk deeply with your beloved, close friends or a mentor
Keep it cozy.
Winter is the perfect time to stay as cozy as possible. Take a lesson from the Danish tradition of hygge, the act of creating a warm atmosphere (in your home, but one that stays in your heart when you’re not there) and enjoying the simple, good things in life with good people:
add some twinkly lights to your interior space and spend a little time with all the other lights off as often as you can — you will not believe how peaceful this will make you feel, and it’s great for your melatonin levels if you do this every night for at least a half hour before bed
keep your favorite snuggly blanket out in your favorite place to sit and relax
get yourself some amazing slippers and slipper socks and delight in them every time they grace your feet
make a little “peace area” in your home — this is a relaxing place to sit and take your mind off everything else; in my peace area I love having a bowl full of multicolored rice for separating mindfully, relaxing things to gaze upon such as a candle or bubble / lava lamp, and contemplation stones (painted stones with positive words written on them)
Invest in good pillows that truly support you while you sleep, get yourself some nice sheets or a beautiful comforter, and make your lovely bed so every time you walk into your bedroom in the midst of a busy day, you enter a personal sanctuary
have at least one teacup or mug that you adore and keep it out with your favorite teas, cocoa mixes, or coffees / adaptogenic coffee replacers
go on nature walks
I know many of these suggestions may sound too simple to be effective, or you may be thinking you don’t have time to implement them this holiday season, but I urge you to remember the point of this season is connection so give them a try.
Connect to your own heart and you will be able to connect to others deeply, peacefully, and with so much joy!
Happy holidays! NamastYAY!
Maggie
