As we step into the holiday season and spirit, many of us reflect on the year that is nearing end. The holidays are celebrated as a time for rest and relaxation. And yes indeed, the holidays do provide rest and relaxation.

However, they also churn up a lot of emotions and with the bustling activity, can add a lot of stress in multiple ways from expectations we may have, to a frenzy of activity, conjuring up memories, and so on.

When we take our focus off the day-to-day pressures, work, and other obligations, our minds turn to something else. That is what the mind does – it thinks. Just as the heart beats to pump blood and the lungs breathe to keep us alive, our mind thinks and thought leads to feeling emotion and remembering.

And this is all okay. It’s our nature and cannot be separated.

In working with people over the years, I have come to sense and pick up when someone, including myself, may start to feel overwhelmed or is experiencing any other slew of emotions.

Some friendly reminders I would like to impart are:

• Acknowledge your feelings and thoughts and simply sit back and observe them. No need to judge or label them. The simple act of observing them is powerful and can often calm us down in moments of stress and frenzy.
• When I start to feel overwhelmed or pessimistic about something, that is a good time to step back and reflect on what is going well. Yes, what is going well because we are hard-wired to focus on what isn’t going well as a natural preservation and protection mechanism. By focusing on what is going well, we flip the switch.
• What can I feel grateful for? Is it clean, healthy air? My family? A close friend? A special someone? Or simply a beautiful place or amazing experience. Going back to gratefulness eases our spirit and puts the mind back in a restful state.

It is also important to keep the holidays in perspective in the sense that there is often a lot going on – a lot of activities, events, shopping, eating, and whatever else you can think of.

Taking time out for yourself to recenter, relax, go to a quieter spot, and recharge is vital. As a year-end ritual that is understood and adapted, we are promised this time, called the holidays, to relax and recharge.

Even for the super-extroverted people out there who draw energy from activity and having lots of people around them, this is vital.

I will close by expressing that engraining these simple practices is a strong way to ground and remain present. People will notice and feel the difference around you and you will also feel the difference.

Note: This is an original writing by me and the views expressed are my own. They do not represent anyone else’s views or opinions.