Let's not skip the next 20 days just because 2024 is three weeks away.
Today is December 11th. Two weeks from today is Christmas. Three weeks from now is New Years Day, 2024.
I don’t know about you, but I won’t be sad to see the end of 2023. For me, it’s been a year of challenges, and difficulties and losses. And I know that is true for many other people as well.
On the one hand, I am ready for 2023 to be over; on the other, I’m not actually ready for 2024 to arrive.
Maybe you feel the same way? Something about these last few weeks of the year defies the typical passage of time. Some days last forever, while the rest seemingly speeds by.
We miss those who aren’t with us anymore, and can wax nostalgic about holidays past. We also tend to stop making many life plans just now, since the new year is just around the corner—therefore, we start deferring things, which overburdens our brains as our minds struggle to keep track of all those goals and loose threads.
As always, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to double down on self-care. By self-care, I mean the usual stuff: sleep, food, movement, hydration, movement and getting outside a bit. During the holiday season, I believe you should give yourself the gift of presence.
“During the holiday season, I believe you should give yourself the gift of presence.”
One easy way to be present is to ground and center yourself, pulling yourself out of your spinning thoughts and down into your body.
A simple way to do that is to sit on a chair with your feet planted on the floor. Place one hand over your heart space, and the other on your solar plexus.
Next, take three deep breaths (see the next paragraph). Each will be drawn in through the nose, held for a moment at the top of the breath, then fully exhaled through the mouth.
On the first breath, as you exhale, release all of the things that came before the present moment. On the second, release all thoughts of what you have to do later today. On the third and final breath, focus on breathing into the present moment.
Being grounded and present in the moment is a good way of making sure that time doesn’t speed past you.
I want to also assure you that taking breaks, pausing, and observing moments is a way to mindfully progress through the next few weeks.
If you don’t already have next year planned out, you aren’t alone.
Also, there’s no rush. You don’t need to try to carve time out of your holiday celebrations in order to create your vision board or plot things on next year’s calendar. You can do that in January, once the world is (we hope) a bit slower and quieter. If you want on the wait list for the pay-what-you-want planning session I’m hosting in January, the wait list is here.
you can still join me for solstice on 12/21 at 8 pm(EST) via Zoom.
Join me for Solstice on December 21st
As the planet tips from darkness toward light, join in community to observe the hush, to meditate, and to make a wish for the season. This is a pay-what-you-want workshop that will begin at 8 pm EST on Zoom. I would love for you to join me. Here’s the page to sign up.
