Christmas is a magical time of year, but it can also be one of the most stressful. With all the presents to buy, family visiting, feasts to cook and events to plan. It can be hard to switch off and enjoy the festive season. Practising mindfulness can be a great way to reduce stress and help you relax. Mindfulness isn’t hard to implement into your everyday life and therefore is easy to add to your festivities. Here are 6 simple ways to have a more mindful Christmas.
My favourite part of the day is my morning cup of tea. I just sit and enjoy my tea (or coffee) for 5 or 10 minutes without any distractions. Avoid starting your day by checking your phone as then it’s too tempting to jump straight into work. Spend 5 minutes focusing on the moment. Enjoy the scent, warmth and taste of your coffee and ease yourself into the day. Try not to think about your to-do list or plans for the day and stay focused on the moment. It only takes 5 minutes to help yourself start the day calm and collected.
With this time of year being so busy, it’s easy to forget about the importance of ‘me’ time. If you have family staying or hyper children home from school it can be easy to feel cramped and stressed. Try to plan 5 minutes for yourself into the day. This could be having a coffee in another room or taking the dog for a walk. If you’re lucky you may have time to run yourself a bath. Don’t feel guilty about leaving guests by themselves. They will probably be grateful for a little space as well. Make the most of every opportunity to have some alone time, even if that opportunity is just driving to the shops.
Writing Christmas cards and wrapping gifts can be pretty monotonous tasks. However, you can practice mindfulness by taking your time and focusing on the person the gift is for. Think of your friends and family whilst you prepare your gifts for them. Focus on the process of gift wrapping and making it look pretty and appealing. Write thoughtful and meaning messages on gift tags and cards. If you have chosen not to send cards, why not send friends a message to let them know your thinking of them.
There is something so calm and peaceful about watching the sunrise and sunset. The days are shortest in the weeks surrounding Christmas which means we have more opportunities to watch the sunrise and sunset. With the sun starting to rise after 8 am we can all get up in time to watch it. Find yourself a good spot and sit and watch the sun come up. It does have to be anywhere fancy your living room window will do. Sit and watch the beautiful colours in the sky. Don’t think about the weather or anything else just focus on the beauty around you. Do the same thing at sunset, concentrate on how the colours change over the day.
There is so much going on at this time of year it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Try to focus on the little things which happened throughout the day. It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking about what time the veg should go on that you forget to enjoy the moment right now. Slow down and enjoy the day. Take things one moment at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Spend a couple of minutes each day writing down your thoughts. You could write your thoughts and feelings from the day or a list of things you’re grateful for. It doesn’t matter what you decide to write, it’s about the process of ending your day positively.
