You know what the holiday times do to you and to your family. You better than anyone can feel the undercurrents rattling and roaring in yourself, the world, and your environment. The question is: how present are you in the moment? How truly present are you with the ones you love, the ones who need your presence most? Your presence is required to respond appropriately to who you are interacting with. Your presence is required to guide you to talk and listen with the greatest calm, clarity and focus that you can with others. If you have a child or children, they need your loving, caring attention and connected presence, no matter what else is going on for you. When you are present within yourself, you become more self-honest in the process.
If you feel distracted, how do you catch yourself and come back to being present in the moment when caught up in life and the swirling holiday tensions? Let’s face it, it’s not about one primary thing. Holiday stress consists of a combination of many stressors. What are yours? There’s the task of gift-giving, earning, spending more money and then shopping in crowded stores with other stressed out people. Your sleep level changes with increased stress, while holiday imbibing and feasting take over many holiday celebrations. Then you are left with foggy memories, a tired mind at work or at home and a rounder belly. For some people, children included, there are the outer impositions of Madison Avenue’s “great next thing” that is forced upon you from all the media outlets. When that “great next thing” looks good, or that it will make life so much better somehow- the desire to obtain it grows stronger. They know the psychology of advertising, and who doesn’t want to feel, smell, or look better, smarter, richer, more successful, more cool, hip or forward trending during the emotionally packed Holiday time? Therefore, whether you know it or not, your attention is being pulled and pushed in many directions. More stress, combined with excitement and obligation ensue. What about adding on the reality of spending more time with family, including spending time with difficult, conflicted, absent or combative relationships? The onset of a New Year can also cause some stress in people who take their New Year’s Resolutions seriously. They may not know what they need to resolve, or if identified, may fear failing at setting that goal and they know it. For many, resolutions are made but not kept. That opportunity to heal and start anew can be fraught with confusion or horror at not quite knowing how to get there, how to even begin.
The bottom line is this: find ways to become present within yourself. Every day, take the time through exercise, meditation, music, art or other physical, creative and spiritual practices that bring you closer to your center, your core of peace, love and authenticity. Make efforts that you pursue mostly on your own, but seek out what you need if you need supportive therapy, life coaching, classes and support groups to help you find yourself and your sense of inner peace. The more you are present within yourself, the more you can learn, grow and love in your life. An important reminder over the holidays is that your presence matters to others. The payback for giving more of yourself to the ones you love, relate to, teach and lead is that your presence will assuredly be the gift they treasure the most. Live Inspired!® Nina~ www.LiveInspiredwithNina.com