Hello everyone,
Brenton here.
I want to touch base with you about the frenzy that often surrounds the holidays and give you a few things you can do to help navigate stress this time of year.
I'm a firm believer in consistent sitting meditation and honestly the research is undeniable at this point.
Unfortunately,
The holidays can strain even the most disciplined rituals and can also make starting a new practice extremely challenging.
But lucky for us,
We don't have to be on a cushion for hours every day to receive many benefits of mindfulness.
There are lots of little ways to mindfully reduce stress that even the busiest schedules can accommodate.
So here are six of my favorites.
Number one,
Save space.
Even the most urban dwellers will notice that winter is the time for quieting and going within.
If you look around,
Plants are directing their energy underground and many animals begin their hibernation this time of year.
Despite what advertising campaigns will tell you,
This season is one for quiet and space,
Neither of which are common during the holidays.
However,
Learning to hold space is one of the most powerful and important things we can do for our mental,
Emotional,
And even physical health.
Meditation is a great way to cultivate space,
But even setting aside a few minutes of quiet in action a few times a day can be very powerful.
Most of us pack our schedules during the holidays in order to complete all the extra steps involved.
So if you have to,
Schedule time on your calendar where you can put down technology,
Mute your phone,
Follow your breathing,
And quiet your mind.
The intention of holding space for even a few minutes is often enough to get us out of reactive,
Anxious states.
Number two,
Practice pausing.
Akin to cultivating space in your mind and schedule,
Practicing brief pauses throughout the day can do wonders for your mental health.
When we check in with the present moment like this,
It tends to snap us out of our stories and inner narration,
Which tend to turn up the juice around the holidays.
One powerful way to do this is to take a few minutes and focus on each of your physical senses one by one.
If you can get outside for a minute,
Let the cool air ground you in the now as you take note of the sounds,
Sights,
Smells,
And tastes that accompany it.
The small sense-centered mindfulness activity can often be enough to disconnect the autopilot responses in our brains and bodies.
Number three,
Ease expectations.
When we allow our analyzing,
Narrating left brain to run the show,
As most of us do,
We learn to rely on interpretations of reality that are often false and even anxiety-ridden.
Research shows that mindfulness practices,
Such as recognizing this judging aspects of our minds and accepting it as a habitual mechanism for safety,
Say.
This is often enough to cause a sort of short circuit in our repetitive reactions.
When we ease our grip on how things,
Quote unquote,
Should be,
We free ourselves to be in the moment as it happens,
Which,
If you ask me,
Is where the sweet stuff of life actually occurs.
Number four,
Breathing breaks.
There's no greater shortcut to presence and calm than breathwork.
When we breathe deeply into the belly,
We stimulate our vagus nerve,
Similar to Lamaze breathing before childbirth.
This has the effect of calming our fight or flight response and easing symptoms of anxiety,
Which can easily be triggered around Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners.
Take five long,
Slow,
Deep belly breaths every hour,
And that'll often be enough to keep you calm even in the face of extended family fun.
Number five,
Respect rest.
Between working,
Shopping,
Cooking,
Wrapping,
Accommodating,
Traveling,
And more,
It's honestly a wonder we get any rest at all from November to January.
But it's worth making time for since the beneficial effects of sleep run deeper and further into the future than we realize.
Studies continue to show that deep sleep,
That restful stage of sleep that can also include REM and dream sleep,
These flush toxins and buildup from the brain's daily functioning.
When we don't flush this plaque buildup during sleep,
It accumulates and eventually leads to dementia when we're older.
If it means you get adequate rest,
Take an extra day off,
Give yourself a few more days to get things done,
Or even strike a few items from your to-do list.
Not only will you be better equipped for situations in the moment,
You'll also have more patience for family drama.
And number six,
Write and reflect.
Winter is a time for going within and assimilating.
And in most places,
The weather tends to emphasize this energy.
Whether you have space for a daily morning practice that also might include working with your dreams,
Or you just have a few minutes on Christmas Day,
Taking time to write about your experiences,
Your insights,
And your learnings over the last year can be a powerfully healing activity.
2021 is nearly complete,
And you've experienced and felt a lot during the last year.
Instead of rushing to the finish line and jumping directly into the new year,
Take some time to assimilate and reflect on both the short term and the long.
You may find more space in the moment as you practice reflecting and emptying your mind through writing.
This year,
See if you can let yourself sink into an openness akin to the spaciousness of inner being,
That content,
Cozy center where it's easy to greet both people and situations with joyous curiosity.
There's never been a better time than now,
In the present,
To pause and to remember what truly matters.
After all,
The whole point of meditation and mindfulness practices is to embody them and their effects,
To bring that consciousness into our moment-to-moment lives off of the cushion.
May you and those you're with this holiday season be happy,
Healthy,
And free from suffering,
And yet full of the bright light of spirit.
Thank you.
Gratitude.
