The holidays can be a special time of year spent with family friends. However, for many people they can also be a time that comes with a mixed bag of stress and anxiety. Whether you welcome the holidays or maybe wish for their early departure, mindfulness can help you restore a little order and inner calm.
Don’t put it off until the new year. This is a great time of year to start or restart your mindfulness practice!
You may be thinking that you don’t have time to do this, but often when we feel that we don’t have time is the time that we need it the most.
The best thing about mindfulness is that you don’t need a lot of time or a specific setting in which to practice. You can practice simply by being more aware of the present moment. We spend much of our lives worrying about what happened yesterday or what comes next. Picture yourself for a moment in a time of your life when you were satisfied and fulfilled. At that moment, you were not thinking about the past or the future. You were completely absorbed in that moment.
Mindfulness can be purposeful or unexpected. The practice of mindfulness helps us to be more purposely conscious of the present moment. Though it can be beneficial if you want to build your practice, you don’t need formal training to begin a mindfulness practice. You can practice mindfulness while driving in your car or taking a walk. You can take a few minutes before falling asleep each night or even practice it when you are eating.
Whether it’s five minutes, an hour or only a few belly breaths, mindfulness can be a gentle reset and a great boost to our well being.
Here are a few websites that offer mindfulness practice at no charge to the user:
For those who would like a little more guidance, there are also many apps that are available. Many offer free trials to the user or are available at a one-time or yearly charge. Here are a few examples:
These are some informal ways to bring more mindfulness and inner calm to your life this holiday season. I’ll leave you with a picture from the coast of Emerald Isle, NC that I took just as the sun was rising a few weeks ago. Sometimes even a photo can help me be mindful.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!
This article was written by:
Stephanie Muntzer
In-Person and Online Consultations
