The holiday season can be an overwhelming time of the year.
Between spending time with family and friends, trying to find the best gifts, decorating and travel, it may seem as if your to-do list is never ending! As much as I’d like to tell you to you to grab your footie pajamas, pour a cup of hot cocoa and watch Christmas specials until January, it might be more realistic to come up with a holiday survival plan.
Something that I’ve always found extremely helpful during busy times like these is practicing mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness is a lot easier than you may think. Anyone can do it! Here are a few principles of mindfulness that you can use anytime, but especially during this busy time of year.
(Photo: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
1) Non-Judgment
Would it be the holiday season without a disaster here and there? I don’t think so! So you go to the airport, last year’s Christmas sweater in tow, ready to eat at least one slice of your Grandma’s fruitcake just to be polite and you find out that your flight is delayed. It feels like the world might end right there and then, but guess what? It won’t! In those moments your mind is flooded with judgmental thoughts. It can feel as if you’re upset with just about everyone from the check-in attendant to the jostling crowd of travelers around you. Remind yourself to take a step back from the situation, observe and breathe. There’s nothing that you can do about this situation, so why cloud your mind with negative judgments that only make you feel worse?
(Photo: Brian A. Jackson, iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
2) Acceptance
This is also a great time to practice acceptance. Accept your situation for what it is – sure this didn’t turn out the way that you planned, but with a positive attitude everything will probably be just fine. This actually happened to me once. I was on my way back to New York from London when I discovered that my flight was cancelled, but I stayed positive and the airline awarded me with a complimentary stay at a five star hotel, (dinner included!) while I waited for the next flight in the morning. So remember to clear your mind of all judgments and accept your situation when unexpected hiccups occur. Good things might be on the way no matter how dark the situation seems.
(Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
3) Non-Striving
You’ll probably go to at least one holiday gathering before the season’s up, so get ready to give out season’s greetings! This might be kind of nerve wracking for some, but all you have to do is be yourself. Non-striving in mindfulness practice means to just be! You don’t have to try to impress anyone, because guess what? You’re already impressive!
(Photo: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
4) Trust
This goes hand in hand with the idea in mindfulness meditation of trust. Trust yourself! Trust the way that you feel and trust your own experiences. Don’t worry about what others think of you and tune out the little voice in the back of your mind that whispers self-doubt and criticism. We can all be a little bit too hard on ourselves at times. This holiday season release yourself from expectations of what you should do or say and just be you!
(Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
5) Patience
Whether you like to storm the mall on Black Friday, or you’re in the last open store at 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve (guilty as charged), almost everyone has had the experience of stressful holiday shopping. In these situations, patience is key. While lost in the swarm of holiday shoppers, be sure to take deep breaths and regain a sense of self-awareness. While the lines may seem never ending and you don’t see how you’ll ever score the perfect gift before its sold out, remind yourself that the most important element of your shopping trip’s success is you. Getting impatient and stressed out will definitely make you miserable, but it won’t make the line any shorter. Plus, your loved ones are your loved ones – no matter what you get them, or don’t get them, they’ll still love you the same.
(Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
6) Letting Go
Which reminds me of another aspect of mindfulness – letting go. Try
not to focus on getting or giving the ideal gift – let go of your attachment to objects that you’ll probably forget about by next December. Sometimes we get so caught up in gift giving that we forget that this special time of year is really about family and friends. Another thing you can let go of are the hurts and frustrations that keep you from having the best time with your loved ones – don’t let a quarrel with someone in your life spoil your holiday fun.
(Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
7) Be Present
Last but not least, it’s your life, so don’t forget to show up! That might sound strange but many of us spend our days lost in our own thoughts and forget to really be present in our lives. Enjoy every cup of eggnog and treasure this fun time of year.
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