The One Thing You Can Do To De-Stress Your Holidays (and it’s free!)
I’m going to cut to the chase here, rather than follow the typical blog format that explains to you how stressful and pressurized the holidays can be, with all of the reasons why, to reassure you that I see and understand you. I’ll just assure you that yes, I see you, and I get it. 🥰
So jumping in, trusting that we’ve all been through enough holiday times to know that it’s even weirder now than it used to be; that there’s more potential for awkward or intense conversations we’d like to avoid; that overspending our money, energy, and time feels gross; and that there’s every reason to take the position of “once we get through the holidays, things will calm down”. (….will they?)
Like the title of the article says, believe it or not, there is ONE PRACTICE you can do, that will shift your perspective, calm your nerves, restore deeper breathing, and overall improve your life. (And let’s not relegate this to only holiday times - let’s do it everyday - all the time - for no reason at all.)
Ok, the one thing is actually a few things combined into one practice. If you can’t do all the steps, that’s ok - do what you can. Each step is supportive even on it’s own.
Here we go!
Soften your eyes and find a spot or object to look at that won’t move. A fence post, a car bumper, it doesn’t matter. Just softly keep your gaze steady (yes you can blink, just keep your eyes softly focused on whatever you’re looking at).
Focus on what you’re hearing in your environment, while keeping your eyes soft and relaxed looking at your object.
Notice how your clothes feel on your body, the sensation of touch, again, while keeping your eyes soft and listening to your environment.
Say a gratitude in your mind, for example: I am so grateful for this moment. For the sunshine and the winter. For my warm clothes. For clean water…doesn’t matter what. Just bring a gratitude into the moment.
EXTRA CREDIT - Add some earthing by doing steps 1 - 4 outside.
Get outside, get fresh air and (potentially) sunshine. This may seem too simple, but your energy field shifts and expands when you’re outside, even if you’re bundled up and only have 1 square foot to stand on an apartment balcony. Get out there! (Even opening a window for 5 minutes helps, if outside doesn’t work.)
If you can touch the earth with your bare skin, do it. This can be your hand touching a concrete parking lot, one or two of your feet on the bare earth, or lying down on a cotton towel. Get grounded and reset your nervous system. Fifteen minutes is optimal but even one minute is better for your nervous system than no minutes.
This is my version of a Presence Practice. Any of the steps are supportive, if you can’t do them all - just pick a few and see what shifts. This practice is especially supportive if you’ve just had a tense exchange, are nursing resentment, are worried about something, are feeling overwhelmed, or don’t feel well.
I’d love to hear how this shifts your holidays, comment here with your experience!
In love and joy,
Alyssa