Is it not ironic that the season of peace and love and joy is also by far the most stressful season for many of us? I think we often have unrealistic expectations of the holiday season. Maybe it is a bit like romantic love. We have an idea in our heads of what we think Christmas or the holidays should be, but the reality of the holidays can be starkly different from our notion of the season. What if we were to listen even harder to our body this month and re-frame certain ideals, obligations and traditions. What if we were to cut back, say “no”, and make time for ourselves this month. What would this look like?
For some it could mean entertaining less. Definitely for most of us, it could mean spending less money by buying less presents (or less expensive presents). It could mean less decorating or less baking. It could mean pacing our eating and drinking. There are so many opportunities to practice excess throughout December, that if we are aware of them and slightly prepared, maybe we could come out of the parties, dinners, and luncheons without over indulging, with room to spare.
What does your nervous system and your body tell you? Listen carefully to it this month. Pay more attention to your body than your sense of obligation. Pay more attention to your body than to any media advertisements. Pay more attention to your body than what you see your neighbours doing. Your body will not mislead you. If you feel a pit in your stomach thinking about your bills, you are spending too much. If feelings of anxiety creep up, you are taking on too many commitments. Hard as it can be, practice simplifying and saying “no”. Dr. David describes stress as the body’s inability to adapt. The holiday season is so short and so packed that we basically don’t have the time to adapt and we can become overwhelmed. This month please be particularly sensitive to your own body and what it means to over-extend yourself. Yes, we all have January to recover, but what if we didn’t have anything to recover from? Wouldn’t that be the best present to give ourselves this Christmas!
Thank you for your business this year, we really appreciate working with you.
Love and peace to you all this holiday season!!