You you Take a moment to settle in Take some deep breaths You can be sitting or lying down whatever works for you right now Make any little adjustments to your posture,
Your pillows or blankets and sigh out the day so far The lead-up to Christmas can be an exciting time But can also be really busy and stressful with a lot of expectations from ourselves and those around us This meditation will give you some rest and relaxation in the midst of all the tinsel and to-do's Let's take some more deep breaths together Holding at the top of the breath and letting it out slowly We'll do two or three more like that Now as we breathe in,
Feel your body gently expand and as you breathe out,
Feel your body relax Breathe in,
Expand,
Breathe out,
Relax Breathe in,
Expand,
Breathe out,
Relax Breathe in,
Expand,
Breathe out,
Relax Breathe in,
Expand,
Breathe out,
Relax With all the things we feel we should do and all the events and activities that seem to multiply during this time It can be easy to get lost in it and lose sight of the joy of Christmas and other celebrations If you have nice memories of Christmas time as a child,
It can be good to remember those and try to capture that feeling If your memories aren't so good,
Then thinking about how you want to experience Christmas as an adult can help set some boundaries and begin to create joy Or you may choose to ignore it entirely Last year at the end of a tough year of cancer treatment,
I decided to skip most of the trappings of Christmas Mainly because I didn't want to associate future Christmases with how I was feeling then For those of us going through tough times at this time of year,
The whole thing can feel a bit cruel and uncaring Everyone being exhorted to enjoy themselves no matter what It can be very jarring if there are hard situations we are dealing with Christmas can feel like a package deal if you want the feelings of comfort and joy You must also spend lots of money and time making your Christmas look like our reimagined Christmas Which is,
Frankly,
A part time,
Unpaid job that falls mainly on women to carry out So to avoid arriving at Boxing Day feeling exhausted and far from joyful,
We need to decide what Christmas means for us Either as individuals or as a family and stick to that,
Even though the pressure to do otherwise can be immense If you truly love cooking and parties and gift shopping and decorating then that's awesome and you'll thoroughly be enjoying this time of year But if you only enjoy one or two of those things,
Or if you feel like you're expected to do it all alone,
Or there's just not the money or the time This can be really draining and stressful Becoming very clear on the things that you enjoy and leaving the rest can be daunting And may take a couple of years to bed in with yourself and those around you Other people can feel you aren't behaving properly or are spoiling things But if you can calmly explain that these are the things that are meaningful to you and these are the things that aren't Then other people are going to have to deal with their own disappointment,
It's not actually your problem You aren't Santa and you don't actually owe anyone your time or sanity Your time,
Money and attention are yours to choose how and when you give to others,
If at all It is your holiday too and if nobody wants to work together to bring it to life then you don't have to do the 110% Christmas You can do the 40% Christmas and actually have a restful time and we all need rest after the last few years we've had You might even find the people around you prefer the 40% Christmas if it means you're relaxed and happy And if you're someone who has a lot of expectations around Christmas but actually carrying those out falls to somebody else in your life Maybe you can have a conversation with that person and check in with them,
See how they're feeling You might need to adjust your expectations or lend a bit more of a hand And if you find yourself or choose to be alone for Christmas it's a perfect time to bring in your favourite foods and spend your time exactly as you wish Find joy in the lack of expectation and treat yourself in whichever ways feel nourishing to you And if anyone asks who you spent Christmas with and you can't be bothered with a whole alone at Christmas conversation You can say you spent it with your best friend,
Because you did If parties are your thing,
Yay,
If not then you don't have to go or stay very long You don't even have to say that you're leaving,
You can just slip out quietly,
This was a revelation to me For introverts and those of us who didn't start the year with a full tank,
Which is basically everyone Attending lots of social events can be draining You're free to attend or not,
You do what works for you The world won't end if you choose your couch over a party This year and every year we need to give ourselves the gift of self compassion You can't pour from an empty cup,
So this is the time of year to be protective of your time and energy Even when the world is seemingly demanding you do the opposite You can run some experiments,
Leave out a few of the things that you like the least and see what happens It can feel scary but it's all part of self care and being scared to do things or not do them Just means that it's unfamiliar,
It doesn't mean that it's bad Okay it's time for me to stop talking and for us to tune into our breath and the music and relax Feeling arms and legs getting heavier Sinking further into the bed,
Floor or the chair Breathing is slowing down See if you can see any patterns or colours behind your closed eyelids It doesn't matter if you do or not,
Just notice Scan your body and see if you can find areas of tightness or discomfort Try and relax them Take a moment to feel some gratitude for this moment,
Taking time for yourself And for any other things that you can think of A perfect chocolate,
A lovely sunset,
A purr from the cat Simple joyful pleasures that are meaningful to you Start to deepen your breath Take some gentle movements in your body,
Rolling your head slowly from side to side Rubbing your hands together and now your feet Think about where you are in the room and what time of day it is Open your eyes and take a yawn and a stretch I hope the rest of your day or evening will be peaceful Thank you for spending this time with me and have a Merry Christmas Thank you for watching!
