5 Tips to Stay Grounded During The Holiday Season
The holidays can feel overwhelming for many of us, and it can feel hard to carve out time for self care. But taking time to recenter and recharge will help you flow through the to-do lists, gatherings, emotions and pressures that can accompany the season. Even when your schedule feels maxed out, here are five ways to ground yourself, whether you have just 5 minutes or a precious hour.
If you have 5 minutes …
Gratitude Notes
Research has shown that the most effective way to cultivate joy in our lives is to practice gratitude. Brené Brown explains, “The key word here is practice. It’s not just about feeling grateful, it’s about developing an observable practice. So often we think that joy makes us grateful, when in reality it’s gratitude that brings joy.”
A simple hack to a gratitude practice is creating a note on your phone to jot down something you’re grateful for as you go about your day. It can be as simple as a peaceful cup of tea before leaving the house, playing with the dog, or a heart conversation with an old friend. If you’re feeling low, open the note to read through moments that brought you gentle joy, and the memories can trigger positive sensations in your body that can ease your mind.
If you have 10-minutes …
Yoga Stretch and Breath
- Find a solo space, lay out your Ritual Rug and begin seated in a cross-legged position with a straight spine, shoulders relaxed and palms placed on your knees. Take a moment to focus on your breath as it enter and leaves your body.
- On the exhale, let go of something you do not need anymore in your body; an emotion, thought, or a sensation. Then, on each inhale, breathe in something you want to cultivate, such joy, strength, or anything that will help you in this moment.
- Shift onto all four and transition in gentle cat-cow movements, arching the spine as you slowly breathe in, and curving inward as you exhale, continuing to watch the breath.
- When you’re ready, from all fours, begin to extend a single arm, and the opposite leg at the same time, breathing inward as you extend and exhaling as you curl in. Repeat while alternating sides, bringing heat and balance into the body.
- At this point you can rise into a downward facing dog and pedal out the legs, move through a chaturanga if you want to build heat, or shift into a child’s pose for a more gentle posture.
- Finish back in a cross-legged position, with your hands placed on your heart and belly and return to the same breath pattern you began with, letting go of what you don’t need on each exhale, and calling in your intention with each inhale.
- Roll up your rug, and move forward with a bit more peace and presence as you flow through your day.
If you have 15 minutes …
Mindfulness Walk
Mindful walking is an opportunity to just focus on your breath, your step, and the world around you.
- Get bundled up and head out the door. Begin walking at your natural pace and pay attention the movements of your body, the lifting and falling of the foot, the weight of your body shifting, the sway of your arms. When thoughts come to intrude, gently push them away by focusing on your breath and your body.
- Shift your attention to the sounds around you, but without judgement, just notice.
- Then expand your attention to smells, and finally your sight, taking in color and objects without judgement, but with sustained awareness.
- As you return home, return to the physical awareness of your body walking. Take a moment to stand still before returning to your day, and consider how you might bring this kind of awareness with you along the way.
If you have a half hour …
Hot Water Therapy
Nothing drowns out the sensations of the outside world quite like fully submerging your body in hot water. A hot bath with epsom salts and aromatherapy oils does wonders, but so can a long shower blasting your favorite tunes to either help calm or energize you. Incorporate a face mask or a salt scrub to give yourself a brief spa-like moment of relax and emerge a more patient, fresh version of yourself.
If you have an hour …
Schedule Self Care
If you’re able, a great trick to create time and space for yourself is to schedule blocks of self care on the calendar. Whether it’s your favorite yoga or workout class, a massage, or a sauna session, once it’s booked in your schedule the other to-dos have to fit around it. Pro tip if you're visiting family - find a local yoga studio and sign up for a couple classes for a break to recharge your battery. Prioritizing these brief, solo moments can help you show up to all the other tasks and events with a calm nervous system.
Even when life feels too busy to take a pause, you can carve out the time to make your peace a priority this holiday season.