Mindful Christmas

Too often, we do things at Christmas time that we don’t really want to. We get dragged into things like work commitments, meet ups and even feel pressured to do things like ‘Elf on the Shelf’. Later we can feel drained, exhausted and even resentful, because we haven’t had time to do the things that fill us up and bring us joy. Sometimes we get drawn into traditions that don’t really sit with us, just because that is the way it has always been done.
If these traditions, meet ups and extra ‘things’ that end up on your plate at this time of year bring you joy, then this post is not for you! But if you feel like you get swept up in lots of stuff at Christmas and find yourself not really enjoying it, then read on…
This is a really great time to consider what you would like your festive season to look like, before you get drawn into things that aren’t really what you want to do. I’ve attached some journal prompts to help you. If you can tune into how you feel, how you want to feel and what you hope this time of year to be for you, you can be more intentional.
The last journaling prompt asks you to write a list of ‘yes’ and ‘no’, it might feel strange writing lists like this, so here’s an example for you:
Yes: Fires, delicious food, walks and nature, showing love, fun and novelty, welcoming people into our home, time to read.
No: Loud bars/ restaurants, Christmas food (I know, it’s weird, I just don’t like it!), obligations, complicated cooking, presents for the sake of it, societal expectations (perfect house, perfect clothes etc.), rushing.
This exercise will help you to see what things you value and help you to be intentional.
Here are some practical tips:
Before you say ‘yes’ to a party, meet up, secret Santa etc. etc. think carefully about whether you really want to do it. If we fill our time with obligations, we are saying no to things that we genuinely want to do. This leaves us resentful.
When you know what you DO want to do over the festive season (use the journal prompts to help you), book these things in your diary first. Set them as a priority. Include special things for yourself, to fill your cup, such as craft workshops, spa days, well-being workshops (mine are both fully booked but I do have a waiting list 😉).
Keep on top of your commitments, use a diary to make sure that you don’t stretch yourself too thinly, plan in down time. We can easily get overstimulated at this time of year.
When you are thinking about the things that you need to do, consider if in fact you need to do them at all, consider the Ds; could you dump it (not do it at all!), delegate it (give it to someone else), delay it (do it at a different time, when you aren’t so stretched).
Finally, when the festive season is in full swing, make sure that you create time each day to check in with yourself and what you need. Perhaps some breathing techniques, meditations, or even a mindful hot drink might help.
What things are you going to do this year? What are you choosing NOT to do?